During weekday rush-hour in
Duluth, there may be as many as 42 buses on the street. Of those 42 buses, approximately seven drivers are women. The Duluth Transit Authority (DTA), as an institution, is definitely dominated by men. However, even now, in this era of backlash against feminism, against identity politics, there is some progress toward gender equality in the workplace, at least at the DTA. 

            In the summer of 2001, after being interviewed by two men, and hired, I went through five weeks of training with three other drivers, one of which was female, thank goodness. Both of my new bosses, the Company Chief and the Director of Operations, were men. All three driving supervisors were men, as was most of management who handled safety, public relations, advertising, and funding for the organization. Our trainers, too, were men which made me more than grateful for my female cohort since conversation with her, hasty and hidden during short breaks, was relief from all the small talk, jokes, and personal stories otherwise focused on hunting, sports, military service, and recreational vehicles such as 3-wheelers, boats, small planes, big trucks, and old remodeled cars.

            The transition into this new job was quite a shock for me. Before working at the DTA, I’d worked for 12 years in an all-women’s organization that provided housing for homeless women and kids. Moving from a female dominated, feminist workplace, to a male dominated, mainstream workplace, often felt, in those early days, like stepping back into the 50’s. One of our DTA trainers, during behind-the-wheel practice (he was also a supervisor), thought it was funny to make comments like “Don’t hit her; she’s too pretty!” or “Look at that one, she won’t turn her head even if you honk at her.”  A short time later, in the women’s locker room, senior women drivers warned me to watch out for the white haired guy, “He thinks women should not be drivers at all because we take respect away from his job for doing the same thing.” 

            The gender issue turned out to be two-sided. Soon after that conversation in the locker room, a favorite co-worker of mine (one of the guys who refurbishes old cars), explained to me why some male drivers resent female drivers. “DTA work hours are terrible for families.  We’re always working split-shifts which means we leave early, come home late, and have the middle hours off.  We drive during rush hours, when more buses are needed, and during the time our kids are getting off to school and coming home. This makes women drivers less reliable. They book off work when kids are sick, when the babysitter doesn’t show up, and during parent-teacher conferences.  You don’t see men here do that.”

            When a driver books off work, although they lose their day’s pay, another driver sitting “back up” must go out at the last minute and work the full shift for them. If the back-up driver’s shift began three hours earlier, that makes for a long, 12 hour day. When the same two or three drivers habitually book off, whether it’s because of an on-going family crisis or not, resentment festers rapidly among the drivers who must do their work.  Fortunately, for the reputation of women drivers generally, the two female drivers who most egregiously missed work are no longer with the company.  Other changes affecting gender equity have occurred in these last few years as well.   

The two top fellows in the company remain; no change there.  Most of management is still male.  But two of the three driving supervisors are now women.  The white haired guy retired as did many other old-timers who started at the DTA before women were drivers. As shocking as it seems to many of us in the company, the top three senior drivers are all women.  That’s unheard of in the history of DTA.

On an individual level, I’ve learned how to survive and even thrive in a male-dominated company. I mingle among people I might never have met otherwise when I worked in an organization with even less gender diversity.  I’ve grown to like and appreciate men who hold different views than I do. Best of all, however, while they may not be the loudest or the leaders in the company, I’ve found numbers of men who do show common respect and loyalty for co-workers, regardless of our gender, and that is what keeps the wheels of gender fairness moving forward.