High-voltage women wanted; must enjoy breaking ground

SIMPSONVILLE, S.C. (AP) — High-voltage work can make sense for women seeking a trade where they can earn good salaries and equal pay.

And the jobs aren’t hard to come by as experienced lineworkers grow older and retire. The nation’s power grid also is aging, requiring a constant stream of work by electric companies nationwide.

With overtime, salaries can easily soar into the six-figure range.

But Jordan Demartino is like a unicorn scaling the power poles: she’s one of only five women among 2,500 Duke Energy line workers. She’s a proven team member after two years on the job, and she says she went through everything the guys went through to get there – no one took it easy on her.