Geologist calls out 'antiquated' comments she gets as a woman in construction

December 15, 2020December 15, 2020 WKXA

Tiktok/milankabeeBy NICOLE PELLETIERE, GMA

(PHILADELPHIA) — A Pennsylvania woman’s viral video describing experiences she’s had on construction job sites has millions responding with empowering comments on social media.

“I was waiting for the concrete trucks to show up and made a lighthearted video about guys on site who still subscribe to a pretty antiquated view of women in construction,” said Milanka, a 25-year-old geologist from Philadelphia, who declined to give her last name due to privacy reasons. “It became a place for women to vent about the experiences they had in the workplace.”

Milanka told “Good Morning America” she studied geology in college. She now works in a firm’s geotechnical division, which often brings her to construction sites. There, Milanka will assist with inspections.

While working with subcontractors has been pretty positive, Milanka said there’s still occasional comments made to her, which she recently shared on TikTok.

“At every site I go to, I always get the comment, ‘So, what did a pretty girl like you do to end up in construction?'” Milanka said in her video. “I studied geology, bro.”

The Instagram account Girlboss, which celebrates women in the workforce, shared a snippet of Milanka’s video with its 1.7 million followers. There, it garnered thousands of comments.

“I’m a foreman in concrete work..I felt this!” one woman wrote.

“I walked into a project, and a subcontractor yelled out to the entire crew ‘somebody’s girlfriend is here,'” said another.

Others said they didn’t share the same experiences and were treated equally in what one would consider male-dominated fields.

“I used to be a supervisor for a landscaping crew, and they were actually the nicest and the least sexist men I’ve worked with,” a commenter wrote.

Milanka agreed that not all of her run-ins or comments heard from male workers were frustrating.

“A lot of people I work with have a lot of respect for me and my female coworkers,” she said.

Milanka said the best part of her video going viral is the flood of direct messages from young women asking how they can go after a career in geology.

“It hasn’t discouraged women, but otherwise inspired them,” she added.