COLD LAKE - Alberta’s oil and gas industry is no stranger to challenges, but for women like Danny Szabon, those challenges take on a whole new meaning.
Szabon is from Cold Lake and is a Class 3 body job operator working under Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNRL) with Lyn-Den Energy Services out of Bonnyville. She has spent years proving that women belong in the industry.
At 24 years old, she is a mother to a three-year-old and has been working in the oil and gas industry for about five years.
Szabon’s journey began with insulating work at Imperial in Cold Lake before an injury outside of work forced her to take some time off. But instead of stepping away, she pushed forward.
"After that, I went to Fort McMurray and started working in the fluid haul side, which I found out that I actually really enjoyed, and I was working on getting my Class 3 [license]. So, I worked up in Fort McMurray for about a year, and then I had my son up there and we eventually moved back here to Cold Lake."
She gained a broad skillset by working on pump jack maintenance, picker trucks, well servicing rigs, and wellhead maintenance before returning to fluid hauling. Now, she operates vac trucks, steamers, and has experience with various equipment, including hydrovacs, flush buys, pressure trucks, and water trucks.
Overcoming barriers
Szabon’s entry into the industry wasn’t just about earning a living, it was about proving something.
"If anything, it was kind of actually just being a little bit petty," she admitted. Coming from a military family, she was expected to follow in those footsteps, but she chose a different route.
"I wanted to be . . . independent and show that I can do what I want, and I can get to where I want to be. So, I just joined the trades."
While getting into the trades have become more accessible, women still face hurdles.
"The money was great, and the schooling was cheap, which is what I needed," Szabon explained. "But it's super hard for women to join the oil field, especially when you have no connections or no experience. You're as green as green can be."
Connections, she said, can make all the difference.
"If you know somebody, and you're a man, it's like, 'Yeah, sure . . . why not’?" she said bluntly. "As a woman, even though I did have a couple of connections in the oil field, there was a lot of 'Well, you're not going to make it, you're not strong enough, you're just going to crumble’."
Szabon even experienced discrimination when applying for jobs. "My real name is Danielle, but I go by Danny. People see 'Danielle' on the phone call and they immediately assume that I am actually a female - that's when the call either drops or, you know, 'Oh, we found somebody else.' It was very discouraging."
More women entering trades
Despite the challenges, Szabon sees a shift in the trend, noting more women are joining the field. She tries to help friends and others who need a start, but she still works mostly with men, and it remains rare to see women on smaller job sites.
She credits organizations like Women Building Futures for providing resources, training, and job placements specifically for women in the trades.
With an office located in Edmonton, Women Building Futures aims to remove barriers to financial independence through free training programs, support services and connection to employers committed to safe, inclusive workplace cultures, according to information from the organization.
"With big things like that, it's definitely helping women get in,” said Szabon.
Statistics show a shift
Szabon's experiences align with national statistics indicating a slow but steady increase in women's participation in male-dominated trades.
Over the second half of the 20th century, women became far more involved in the workforce than ever before. "In the early 1950s, about one-quarter of women aged 25 to 54 participated in the labour market, that is, they had a job or were looking for one," according to Statistics Canada. "In contrast, virtually every man in the same age group was participating in the labour market during this period."
Women’s increased presence in the labour market was driven by shifting social norms, smaller family sizes, and more job opportunities.
By 2014, women’s labour force participation had risen to 82 per cent, closing the gap with men at 91 per cent. The gender gap narrowed from over 70 percentage points in the 1950s to less than 10, with women making up 47 per cent of Canada’s workforce.
Despite these gains, women remain significantly underrepresented in the construction industry, which is “one of Canada’s largest employers, employing one in 13 working age individuals and over 1.4 million Canadians,” according to Statistics Canada.
According to the Centre for Innovation in Campus Mental Health, “women remain dramatically under-represented in the industry, accounting for only 12 per cent of the total workforce.” Furthermore, “Nearly 75 per cent of the women tend to work in off-site occupations such as business administration, management, and sales. It is estimated that women now make up 40 per cent of the total construction off-site workforce.”
Women remain underrepresented in skilled trades and on-site construction roles, with fewer than four per cent choosing these careers.
Alberta has seen some progress, and women make up 15 per cent of construction employees, with 30 per cent working on-site. In Saskatchewan, nearly 40 per cent of women in the industry hold on-site roles. However, female participation in trades remains low across the rest of Canada, despite industry and government efforts.
Szabon’s advice for women wanting to break into the industry is to "just . . . go for it. Don't worry about what anybody else says. Keep pushing. You got one guy telling you, 'Oh, well, you can't do this or you're not strong enough or smart enough,’ Just . . . keep going."
A future for more women
Despite the obstacles, Szabon is proud of how far she has come.
"I've reached so many goals, and I've learned so much about myself just being in the position that I'm in now. I just feel I'm so much better as a person."
She believes the industry is changing.
"Women are really starting to stand up for what they believe in and what they want. They're not letting people get in the way of their goals anymore."
And with more organizations stepping up to support women entering the trades, she’s hopeful for the future.
"I think we're going to have a lot more women in the oil and gas industry, and I think it might eventually equal out."
For now, Szabon continues to prove that women belong in the trades.
