Women choose welding as a career for many reasons. Welding is a hands-on field that not only tests your technical abilities but also demands creativity and problem-solving skills. Just as important, welders are central to a wide range of sectors, including automotive, construction, shipbuilding, and aerospace.
Despite that, though, welding remains a largely male-dominated field. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), women accounted for only 5.8% of welders in 2025.
However, do not let that statistic fool you — women in welding have and will continue to have a massive impact on their field. If you are thinking about becoming a welder, let the story of your predecessors and the possibilities of the future inspire you to take up the torch.
Women in Welding: Past
The welding field saw a significant shift during World War II, when women filled manufacturing jobs previously held by men deployed to war. Women welders built ships, aircraft, vehicles, weapons, and equipment needed by the troops, marking the initial integration of women into welding and related trades.
The iconic images of Rosie the Riveter — a factory worker rolling up her sleeve and flexing — represented the patriotic women entering the manufacturing workforce. Perhaps less well known was Winnie the Welder, whose name sometimes appeared alongside Rosie’s in wartime coverage of women workers.
Like Rosie, Winnie was not based on any one person. She was a composite of women around the country who learned the trade and served at manufacturing plants across the country. According to the Heinz History Center, the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, area alone employed thousands of women to weld and build the landing crafts used in the D-Day landings. Many had no prior experience but took training classes and dove right in.
Women Welders After the War
Despite their wartime contributions, women faced stereotypes that portrayed welding as a field primarily suited for men. As such, when World War II was over and men returned home, many women welders lost their jobs.
However, the women who remained in the industry proved how wrong those stereotypes were and are. Enter Margaret W. “Hap” Brennecke.
During World War II, Brennecke used her knowledge of chemistry and metallurgy to refine joining, welding, and alloy production practices. By the time the war was over, she was one of the field’s most innovative welding engineers.
In 1961, she was called upon by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center to help design the new Saturn series of rockets. Her work was instrumental to the 1969 moon landing and the trajectory of the shape of welding today.
Women in Welding: Present
Today, women join the field by choice instead of out of national necessity. A career in welding gives them the opportunity to build structures and products that impact people’s lives. Welding also allows them to flex their critical thinking, mathematics, and scientific skills.
For some women in welding, though, their trade is not just a career. It’s a form of expression. After learning how to fabricate and complete commercial jobs, many women use their torches to create works of art for homes, businesses, galleries, parks, and so much more.
Although only a small percentage of the welding workforce is made up of women, it’s an extremely motivated, creative, and intelligent group. Getting into this industry today means working shoulder-to-shoulder with them and becoming a part of a fiercely supportive community.
Women in Welding: Future
Economically, the future of welding looks bright, with many different types of welding jobs that women can pursue. Welders are needed to construct and maintain infrastructure such as bridges, highways, and buildings. As the federal government invests in infrastructure projects across the country, welders will play a vital role in ensuring the structural integrity of these developments.
Welders are essential in manufacturing industries for assembling and fabricating metal components as well. As technology advances, the demand for precision welders to produce machinery, vehicles, and aerospace components is expected to grow.
According to BLS projections, employment of welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers will remain relatively stable from 2024 to 2034. An average of 45,600 job openings are expected to be available each year over the decade, primarily to replace workers leaving the occupation or the labor force, such as through retirement.
Welding Technology: An Opportunity for Today’s Women Welders
In recent years, technologies such as 3D printing and robotics have made welding processes more advanced, efficient, and precise. Now, the technology on every welding engineer’s mind is artificial intelligence (AI).
According to the American Welding Society (AWS), the future of AI in welding is not all about fully automated welding robots. AI can be used to monitor voltages and currents, weld quality, equipment wear and tear, and to support training simulations.
That being said, AWS asserts that integrating AI into welding processes is likely to be costly to welding shops, consumers, manufacturers, fabricators, and everyone else in the industry. Integrating this technology into the welding sector will likely take some creative thinking and inventive engineering. For women in welding today, this could very well prove to be a chance to take a page from Brennecke’s playbook and change the field forever.
Start a Career in Welding Today
While welding has a long history of being a male-dominated field, without women, it would not be where it is today. Also, with the technological landscape of welding changing faster than ever, yesterday’s innovative women welders need a new generation to take the reins. The Fortis Welding Technology training programs can help you do just that.
With classes on applied mathematics, cutting processes, fabrication methods, and other fundamentals, the Fortis welding programs prepare students to earn professional certifications and launch their careers. Graduates often take on jobs as not only welters but also solderers, fabrication welders, brazers, and more.
To find out more about the Fortis Welding Technology programs in Alabama, Georgia, Ohio, and Texas, request more information today.
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