When these two painters show up to a job, they are usually met with the same reaction.
A blank stare, silence and an obvious ‘up and down’ look followed by a misogynistic comment.
Being in the industry for over seven years, Ashleigh Cleghorn told news.com.au that she has “heard it all” and is sadly used to the sexism that can arise from working in a male-dominated profession.
But it was after she took her co-worker Carli Carnegie, 22, under her wing that she realised how rife these misogynistic attitudes were.
The pair are now working to instigate change and bring awareness to the issue.
“There is nothing that really shocks me anymore to be honest,” she continued.
“When I first started I wanted to give up every day, I really had to prove myself to be respected.
“Many men, especially older ones, are stuck in their ways and still think it is a man’s world.
“I never let it bother me too much and was determined to stick it out. But when I began working with Carli, I started to realise how bad it could be.
“When I saw it happening to someone else, that is when I started to call things out more than before and I’m now fighting to raise awareness.
“We need more women in this profession, and it is time for these attitudes to change.”
Ashleigh and Carli, from Christchurch, New Zealand, are no stranger to archaic misogynistic sentiments and instances of brazen sexual harassment.
“You feel like a piece of meat sometimes,” Ashleigh said.
“We get sexist comments, we’re stared at like we’re aliens, men shout things at us and wolf whistle.
Have you had a similar experience? Email jasmine.kazlauskas@news.com.au
“We’ve learnt not to wear our high-vis shirts to places like the supermarket or you will get the strangest looks like you’re from another planet.
“Even comments like ‘is that your boyfriend’s high-vis?’ or ‘you should leave this type of work to the men’ really annoy us.”
Although she is newer to the industry, Carli agreed sexism can be rife and loves to use any toxic experiences to prove that women are strong, powerful and capable.
“We do get quite a lot of looks and people looking at us up and down,” she said.
“Going on a break, we will always get stared at or even wolf whistles.
“It is honestly a different world out there, it is like they’ve never seen a female in their lives.
“We both love that we can show people up and prove that we aren’t just two little ‘pretty girls’, but we actually are tradespeople.
“It’s fulfilling and great being part of a male-dominated industry. I think any woman is capable of doing it.
“Stuff what anyone else thinks, do you and get out there.”
In Australia, female painters make up only 4% of all people in the trade, according to the government’s Labour Market Insights.
This has risen only marginally from 3.7% in 2001, an Australian Bureau of Statistics spokesperson told news.com.au.
In New Zealand, this statistic is slightly higher, with females reportedly making up 7.9% of the total workforce of those in the painting and decorating industry, up from 5.9% back in 2000.
Ashleigh and Carli are working to change sexist attitudes towards women in trades, while also hoping to encourage more females to give the more male-dominated fields a try.
They both said they would not change their “dream job” for the world and would love to see more women consider painting as a trade.
“We both absolutely love what we do, and we work for a great company now,” Ashleigh said.
“It can be hard at the start, and you often have to deal with some misogynistic attitudes, but that is sadly the case for many male-dominated professions.
“It is such a great career. I get to do different things everyday and you’re constantly learning.
“I love the level of responsibility I have in my position and I feel very grateful to be a female in a leadership role.
“There is room to grow and that doesn’t come down to gender, you can progress in your position just like a man can.
“It would be great to see more women getting the opportunity to step up and become leaders in their trade. If I had a female leader to look up to during my apprenticeship it would’ve been a lot easier.”
The pair added that there are some unique advantages to hiring female painters that can often be overlooked.
“You do hear quite often that women are more precise, cleaner and more presentable,” Ashleigh said.
“But I think in every job there are people that are stronger in some areas than others and it is not gender specific.
“I do think that women have an eye for detail, and we have a different way of looking at things. Females can solve problems differently than men.”
To raise awareness about females in the painting trade, Ashleigh and Carli have taken to social media to showcase a fun insight into their profession.
The duo hope that it may inspire other young women to consider getting into the industry or even make a career change.
“It has been so much fun getting on TikTok and sharing what it’s like,” Carli said.
“We do get the usual sexist comments, but we also have loads of people tell us how great it is to see females kicking butt in a typically male role.
“It is really motivating and rewarding to see.
“We just wanted to spread the message that women are capable of anything. It is not just a man’s world these days!”