Jen Kelly, Industrial Abseiler

Industrial abseiling, also known as rope access, is a relatively new trade, established in the 1980s. Workers use abseiling techniques to access difficult-to-reach locations like bridges, dams, wind turbines, towers, skyscrapers and industrial plants, without the use of scaffolding or aerial work platforms. It’s a male-dominated trade – women make up less than 2% of industrial abseilers worldwide (it’s a bit better in Germany, 3.7%). It’s physically demanding work but nothing women can’t do; perception is all.

Jen Kelly found her way to industrial abseiling after working in Melbourne Women’s Circus, where, she says, “it wasn’t just women performing, but women doing all the tech work, rigging, everything. It blew my mind.” After moving to Ireland, she found there was no specific organisation for women in the manual trades, so she set up the social enterprise, Women in Trades Network Ireland (WITNI.ie) “to promote tradeswomen online and at events, tell stories about them, introduce our local role models, and ‘bridge the gap’ by working alongside industry and employers to improve their reach to female applicants.”

Photo: Beta Bajgart