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Chix Who Fish, Women Who Fly, and Little Gear-head Girls

by Eva Murray

Maine isn’t a bad place to be a hard-working, strong-armed, Grundens-wearing female. It could be worse; it could be Texas:

“Women were created for one thing and one thing alone. We are insulting the Lord by allowing women to act like men. We marry them, we look after them…but that does not mean they are the same as us…The only knowledge they need is the one (sic) we men allow them to have.”

“I know that everybody is today talking about equality and we’ve got groups that are trying to make us believe that women are equal to men. However, that’s just not the case.”

–Texas Representative Louie Gohmert, in his comments opposing H.R. 4742, a bill to support funding of science and technology education for girls.

It should go without saying that Mr. Gohmert does not speak for every Texan--and we may hope that he is removed from his position of speaking “for” any of them before too long, demonstrating such unstatesmanlike behavior. Obviously, his discriminatory and benighted attitude still exists among a few in this country, and many in this world, but raving roaring occupational sexism does not seem an insurmountable obstacle around here. A pain in the ass, now and again, to be sure--but not an insurmountable obstacle.

Good for us.

Other parts of the country might look to Maine as an example. One small effort Maine can be very proud of --and perhaps Texas could stand to notice-- is “Chix Who Fish.” CWF is, to quote founder Genevieve Kurilec McDonald of Stonington, “a community recognizing the important role women hold in all aspects of the commercial fishing industry. Chix Who Fish began in 2013 as a social media project with the objective of raising awareness about the lack of foul weather gear fitted for women.

She goes on to explain the she would like “to see the formation of the Women’s Commercial Fisheries Alliance, a professional trade association of women in the industry.

“I have found a great source of empowerment and camaraderie through other women in the fishery. I would highly recommend any woman who is considering a career in a male-dominated field to reach out to other women working in that industry.

“I have yet to meet a woman who was somehow less able to steer a boat, tie a knot, or chart a course because of her gender.”

I think of our 23-year-old daughter --now a registered Maine Guide, so she also has to steer a boat, tie a knot, and chart a course—and how she didn’t have to put up with much obstructionist sexism growing up. Sure, there is always an occasional rank-mouthed bozo, but that’s not the same as deeply entrenched cultural rejection of a woman pursuing a career or a dream. There was that time with the team doctor who belittled her --and all women-- participating in contact sports in college. She played hockey, and a few other things, but above all she played rugby. The good doctor informed her that she ought to just stick with knitting and singing. My daughter and a bunch of the other senior female athletes got together and convinced the athletic department to find another consulting orthopedist, before this knucklehead could discourage too many promising freshmen. Done.

On balance, the insult was minor, and the college women prevailed. My kid was lucky; she’d been raised in Maine, and she knew she was in the right. Our daughter grew up an acknowledged gearhead, repair-person, wooden-boat geek and outdoorswoman. She got electrical tape and adjustable wrenches in her Christmas stocking and a gift certificate to Lie-Nielsen Toolworks for her high school graduation. Not once to my knowledge did somebody say to her --at least with any degree of seriousness—that she “shouldn’t be in the powerhouse with her father, learning to change the oil on the 4-71 Detroit diesel that provides this community its electricity.” As a parent, I am grateful for all the discrimination and harassment she never had to endure. Would that every girl had such a childhood.

That’s not to suggest that no Maine female ever has to put up with any lip. My friend Lydia, who’s had her pilot’s license for maybe a year or so, tells the story of some guy sneering at her recently at an airport, and offering an enlightened and considerate comment to the effect of, “Shouldn’t you be out selling Girl Scout cookies? Leave the flying to the men!” It still happens. But to the credit of the people of Maine, it doesn’t happen that often. Lydia describes the support and encouragement she got from her dad, and from her boss, Kevin Waters of Penobscot Island Air, as she worked toward her pilot’s license. She’s also found a statistic indicating that of the roughly 600,000 airplane pilots in the U.S., fewer than 1% are women.

Back in the mid-1980s, when I worked for a midcoast lumberyard, before it was common to see a woman behind the counter in a hardware store, there would occasionally be a rude customer who’d blurt out, “Lemme talk to somebody who knows something!” Me and Roger and Jerry and Everett and Rick, we’d all just roll our eyes. But no boss, co-worker, or customer ever told me, “You shouldn’t be here. Women can’t sell two-by-fours.” When I went for my CDL, the examiner may have thought whatever he thought, but nobody ever said, “You shouldn’t be here. It takes a Y-chromosome to drive a truck.” In fact, Rolf from Knowlton Moving lent me a 37’ North American Van Lines truck for my road test. When I went to my first blacksmithing workshop, no doubt a few of the other students waited to see if I could swing a hammer, but nobody ever said, “You shouldn’t be here.” Rather, instructor Doug Wilson—an inspired teacher—wrapped duct tape around my first blister and became something of a mentor. And in South Thomaston, back in the day, you can be sure nobody ever said, “You can’t be a sternman.” Women owning lobster boats a generation or two back wasn’t common but it wasn’t completely unheard of, and lots of the girls worked in the industry. Of course these days, we’ve got “Chix Who Fish” to speak up to the world, the press, and the manufacturers of oil-skins.

As Lydia pointed out and my daughter will happily attest, dads make a big difference. Genevieve McDonald describes how, “My father was always my biggest supporter when I decided to pursue a career as a commercial fisherman. He always had a tremendous amount of respect for the industry.”

She reminds us that the problem isn’t with those who see how hard a woman works, but with those who have no idea:

“Sexism is most prevalent off the water and on the dock, in the institutions that surround fishing. This includes the loan officer who rejects a fellow captain for her first boat loan although her finances are in order, and every salesman who has ever been dismissive when a woman inquired about a marine product at a tradeshow. Some of these occurrences are honest oversight, some are cultural conditioning, and others are conscious sexism. Whatever the reason, in 2015 there is no place for this type of behavior in our industry.”

Ol’ Man Gohmert could learn a thing or two from the folks around here, and especially from the Chix Who Fish. Hammer on.