DAVID SAKATTARI/AFP/Getty ImagesA number of hairdryers are seeing a rise in the number of women opting to leave their jobs to pursue careers outside the industry.
According to a report published by the International Labour Organization (ILO), the number has doubled in the past five years.
In 2014, women made up 4.5 percent of the workforce in the United Kingdom, but in 2017 they represented 9 percent.
In a study by the Women’s Aid Foundation, nearly 50 percent of female workers in the UK were working in hairdresses and beauty parlours.
According the ILO, the trend has been a long time coming, and many hairdriers say they have never felt the need to leave the profession.
One hairdressor in the US, however, said she felt a shift in the industry when she decided to take a year off to pursue a career in art.
“There’s always this fear that if I’m not there when I graduate I’m going to lose my job,” said Rachel Lea, who has worked as a hairdrier for 15 years.
“I’ve always thought it was more about the lifestyle than the job.”
Rachel, who is also a teacher, said the fear of losing her job was the main reason she chose to take time off.
“The fear of not being able to have a job is so big that you think you might as well leave the country, because that’s the last thing you want to do,” she said.
Rachel said she has also been told she will lose her job if she does not do well at her first job.
“It’s not just the fear that you won’t be able to pay your rent and your bills, it’s the fear you won’s be unemployed,” she added.
“That’s the worst thing.”
The ILO report also found that the number and proportion of women working in the profession has increased steadily since 2006, with the number now accounting for over 30 percent of all working-age female workers.
The average age of hairstylists is 30 years old, and the majority of women are aged 25 to 34.
Rachel and other hairdries said it was hard for them to make ends meet, as they had to travel to and from work.
“If you work from home, you have to travel for the day,” Rachel said.
“You have to pay the bus fare or rent, or you don’t get paid.
And that’s when the income goes down and the rent goes up.”
Rachel and her husband, Matthew, said they have tried to keep up with the changing demands of their jobs, but said it had been a struggle.
“When you’re a hairstresser, you’re the breadwinner, but as soon as you start doing the other jobs you lose your job,” Matthew said.
While the trend is certainly encouraging, Rachel said she hoped it would not be the last.
“As a haberdasher, I want to keep doing what I’m doing,” she told ABC News.
“I want to continue to do what I do, but also give back to my community, to the community that loves me and the community of the hairderers who support me.”ABC/wires
