The researchers argue this has stopped skilled trades from becoming established female career pathways in the same way they have for men. That has lasting consequences, not only for individual families but for the future of the skilled trades themselves." If we want more women in the trades tomorrow, we need to recognise why so many women were unable to remain there yesterday. While skilled trades are often celebrated as offering dignity, autonomy and fulfilment, the women interviewed found those opportunities were systematically limited by gender discrimination. The paper concludes that creating greater equality in the skilled trades requires more than increasing apprenticeship numbers.