JEA, City of Jacksonville honor women in trade as part of Women’s History Month

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — March is Women’s History Month and on Wednesday morning, the City of Jacksonville and JEA leaders recognized women in trade.

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“There are women who do this every single day, we get up earlier than most people, we work during hurricanes, we really serve the community,” said Christalyn Pruitt, the Women in Trades President.

Pruitt along with others recognized the work women at JEA do day in and day out.

“Just bringing attention to the trades in itself, is something that the country really needs, the craft is really dying out,” said Pruitt.

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan said this celebration should be a call to action, to confront the systemic barriers that continue to hold women back.

“The things we used to think of as male and female roles, now you are seeing a lot more women,” said Mayor Deegan.  “I think that gives women a lot more confidence.”

According to data in 2023 from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, women represent a little more than 10% of construction workers.

And at JEA, women make up about 24% of all employees.

“Women have every right to be in every one of these spaces and we have to claim that power,” said Mayor Deegan.

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