Does anyone know how many women currently work for Class I railroads as locomotive engineers, conductors, and trainmen? Does anyone know where I can find that information?
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Household Data, Employed Persons by detailed occupation, sex, race, or Latino ethnicity, which is drawn in part from the U.S. Census Bureau 2010 data, in 2011 the U.S. had 45,000 locomotive engineers and operators, 5,000 railroad brake, signal and switch operators, and 52,000 railroad conductors and yard masters. These numbers, which are derived from statistical samplings, have been rounded when projected to the population as a whole.
Nothing is simple when it comes to wading through government reports. Another BLS table for May 2010 shows 39,300 locomotive engineers. I suspect the difference is a function of timing, as well as classification parameters. It appears that the 39,300 figure consists of engineers who are driving trains, although not necessarily for Class I railroads, whereas the 45,000 figure includes those who may have been working engineers, i.e. they have a license, but have moved on to supervision, management, or have left railroad employment.
The job classification system used by the BLS is probably somewhat different than what you have in mind. Because the BLS classifies a broad spectrum of jobs, it may included in locomotive engineers people that you would not classify as such. Nevertheless, the BLS numbers provide a reasonable picture.
The BLS numbers do not show the percentage of locomotive engineers and operators or railroad brake, signal and switch operators who are women. This probably means that less than one per cent of the sample was women. As a rule the BLS does not show percentages of less than one per cent. However, 6.6% of the railroad conductors and yard masters were women.
In January I rode a San Joaquin train fro
I wonder why the low number of female train employees? Is it still discrimination or do women simply not view working for the railroad as an employment option? Look at other operator positions…women account for at least 30% to 40% of bus drivers now. Truck drivers…I’d say the percentage is 15 % or so now and growing rapidly. Many female airline pilots too although not sure of the percentage.
I don’t believe that it is discrimination. I worked for one of the largest electric utilities in the United States. We went out of our way to open up opportunities for women as line persons, plant operators, heavy equipment operators, etc. We even offered them special training. Most of them quit, especially after children came along, because of shift work.
According to the BLS data cited above, women make up just 4.3% of airline pilots, but they account for 77.4% of flight attendants. They make up 43.4% of bus drivers. I suspect most of these are employed by local transit agencies, which means that they can be home with their families every day. Women make up 6.7% of industrial and truck operators and 4.8% of drivers/sales and truck drivers. I believe the latter category includes over the road, long haul truck drivers.
Overall women make-up 14.9% of the Transportation and material moving occupations. They make up 22.1% of the supervisors in this category, which suggests that they are not the victims of discrimination.
It’s not discrimination, it’s just not appealing to most I guess. Besides, lawsuits cost companies lots of time and money. I have not ran across many ladies who have given this lifestyle a second thought. We only have a few on our district.
NS has recently had 2 women working the Pittsburgh East Dispatcher’s desk, which includes Altoona, Horseshoe Curve, and Johnstown - Hannah and Jennifer.
- Paul North.
Probably not discrimination although women often have to make the choice between having a career OR having a family, thus the preference for jobs and careers that provide regular hours and time at home. That’s especially true if the marriage goes kaput and the women is single with kids…
We have a number of women working as Road Conductors as well as several that have been promoted to Engineer.
The working environment for a woman in railroading is daunting, even when you dismiss the personal issues in dealing with men, Middle of the night, middle of nowhere and you have a brakeman’s lantern to walk almost 4 miles of train (9000 feet out and back) on main track ballast to resolve a mechanical issue - secure a brake beam, change a air hose, change a knuckle etc. etc. etc. It takes a dedicated individual - male or female - to do this day in and day out. Throw in being on call around the clock and many if not most women don’t want it.
It’s not discrimination - it’s just most women don’t view railroad field level jobs as something they want to do.
I don’t think the job itself, as daunting and demanding as it is, is the real reason. Walking four miles with a lantern in sub zero temperatures…I know women who can do that… but throw in family obligations that are normally a women’s responsibility and you’ve gone from hard to pretty near impossible.
It was probably easier to attract women ‘back in the day’ (1960’s to 1980’s) of 4 or 5-person “full crews” and when the engineer craft was more more rigidly separated from the conductors and trainmen. They could then count on mostly staying on the locomotive, and not having to walk the train or do some of the heavy lifting or field repairs by themselves, etc. - the conductor and trainmen would do that instead. Even if women hired out into those trainmen crafts, there would usually be another person around to help out or at least ‘cover their back’. (But see the several articles in Trains about 10 years ago by Linda Grant Nieman. [sp?])
Probably harder now that several railroads - such as NS - essentially require that a new hire be a conductor for a few years before any chance of being promoted to engineer, and expect to do those kinds of tasks.
As a result of the factors listed above by myseklf and others, I expect that there are many more women (as a percentage of the workforce) working for Amtrak, commuter agencies, regional railroads and shortlines, switching and terminal roads, industrial and intraplant railroads, etc., than the 7 Class 1 freight railroads (BNSF, CN, CP, CSX, KCS, NS, and UP).
- Paul North.
A snip from some of the figures posted by Sam 1:
"… I suspect most of these are employed by local transit agencies, which means amongst other things that they can be home with their families every day. Women make up 6.7% of industrial and truck operators and 4.8% of drivers/sales and truck drivers. I believe the latter category includes over the road, long haul truck drivers.
Overall women make-up 14.9% of the Transportation and martial moving occupations. Interesting, they make up 22.1% of the supervisors in this category
I’d agree with that…I work in trucking also, and having a good gender mix makes for a better workplace I find. Employers are realizing that customizing the job to the person where ever possible also helps…i.e. someone with a young family is more likely to need stable hours and more home time than a single person with no family responsibilities. As for the job itself, we specialize in steel, and I find there’s no difference in the capability of men and women, at least none that could be attributed to gender. We treat them the same…the women aren’t coddled and perform as well as the men do and are paid equally.
It would be nice to have a woman’s perspective on the subject.
I know women who have positions in train service and as dispatchers.Just ask Janet at the IE desk in Indianapolis.
stay safe
joe
Would you say the physical demands in the trucking industry are equal to the demands in the railroading industry? I know that truckers have to put on chains in wintery conditions. How might that or having to change a blown tire equate to having to replace a knuckle coupler?
There is a world of difference between office environment jobs and field jobs. Despite the shift work hours of railroad office environment jobs, there are many women pursuing careers in these type jobs. There are far fewer women pursuing careers in Train & Engine service, Car Department, Signal Department and all the other ‘outdoor’ crafts.
While shift work makes demands upon a woman’s ‘family time’; the relatively regular schedules of office type jobs makes such jobs manageable to meld into a family schedule. The total on call nature of Train & Engine service makes these positions less amenable to having a active and meaningful family life.
I agree with BaltACD. Field jobs without set schedules are not attractive to most women. Most women who work for the rail industry can be found in the office with set schedules offering a more dependable lifestyle. And not trying to sound politically incorrect but also because the office environment is a heck of a lot cleaner than filthy, dirty and grungy locomotives and freight cars!
At least three women on this forum are involved with railroad operations - one is a conductor, one is (I believe) training as an engineer, and another used to drive the cab, and is now doing administrative work for a railroad.
On our tourist line, I was trained by a female conductor, and we’ve had several female engineers, conductors, and trainmen.
CSX has at least one female dispatcher at Selkirk, and the head dispatcher for GVT is a woman.
…I can hear a female dispatcher here in Muncie, on my hand held scanner, and believe she is located in New Castle, In. Norfolk Southern. {At least I hear her say…“New Castle District”}.
Half of our dispatchers are women.