Can you believe that we are already in March? This year is flying by! With March comes a handful of days to celebrate including St. Patrick’s Day, the first day of Spring, and much more. However, March as a whole is Women’s History Month! At Premier Appliance, we want to take the time to recognize the women in our community as well as around the globe and say thank you for all that you do! We realize that the appliance repair industry is a male dominated field. However, that doesn’t mean that there are not women in appliance repair or young girls aspiring to work in this field! Let’s take a look at some statistics about the industry currently and where it seems to be heading.
About the Appliance Repair Industry
In recent years, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic led to more work from home jobs, the appliance repair industry has seen an uptick in demand and revenue. Appliances are also getting more expensive, which is driving homeowners to want to fix what they have versus just buying something new.
As of 2021, men made up the majority (97.2 percent) of the appliance repair industry. These men also saw a substantially higher average annual wage than the 3 percent of women in the industry, with a difference of almost $14,000 per year. With more expected growth for the appliance repair industry over the coming years, will we see this information fluctuate or change? One woman right here in Georgia is trying to make sure of that!
The Growth of Women in Appliance Repair
Moniqueca Sims has established the SSG Appliance Academy in Atlanta with a specific goal of increasing female representation in the appliance repair industry. Men are of course welcome to come train as well, though Sims has specific measures in place to attract women into the industry and set them on a path for growth. She provides grants and programs aimed towards women re-entering society after incarceration, domestic abuse, sex trafficking, and halfway houses.
Sims has done a number of presentations talking about her place in the industry and how she got to where she is now. Although, there is still a struggle of people just not believing in her unless there is a man present to back up her word. Nevertheless, she continues running her two week program in the Academy and hopes to expand it to make the training even easier. Her word of advice for women out there in male dominated fields is to not get discouraged and, “Stay focused on what you want to do and find a way to keep moving forward.”
Where We Stand at Premier Appliance
We may have a small team here at Premier Appliance of Augusta, but we never want anyone to feel excluded! We consciously put in the effort to create an open, accepting environment for everyone. Take it from our boss lady, Leah. She is usually the first person you will interact with when calling into our office for scheduling, questions, general information, and more. While she doesn’t go out with the technicians to perform repairs or installations, she is still one of the most essential parts of our team.
Happy Women’s History Month!
