Being A Woman in a Mans World Being a woman in a male dominant industry does come with its challenges. Most of the time, you have to remember that it’s just a job and keep a smile on your face and get the job done. The industry will never change and there is nothing you can do but accept it if you want to pursue it. There are pros and cons of being in the oilfield but after eight years I have learned that not even the pros can outweigh the cons. Some men’s behaviour is hard to deal with at times. They see a woman and they automatically think that it’s acceptable to blurt out rude or vulgar comments. Along with this comes arrogance and acting like they are better than a woman. They do a very good job of making you feel like you’re just there for something to look at and do whatever they say. When there is labour to be done, a lot of times the men will just tell you that they will do it themselves because they feel like a woman can’t do it as well as they could. When this happens, I get infuriated because I know I am fully capable of doing the job myself and don’t need anyone to do it for me. Some people’s attitudes are more than bothersome. There are also the other females in the industry that may slack off at their job and because of them the men assume that all the other girls are going to be like that too and in return do not take you seriously at all. Then there are always the guys that see a girl moving up in the industry and get jealous because of it. It is also sad when one of your friends at work gets mad at you because the boss has decided to move you up and not them. This is how a lot of gossip gets started and assumptions are made. Working in such large groups, it is never a good feeling when everyone is gossiping about you just because they are jealous or feel like it should have been them instead of you just because you are a woman. Another drawback about the industry is being gone all of the time. Missing special occasions and entertaining events gets very tiresome. Birthdays,