Correct. I should have been more specific. My apologies to the ladies of course!
None taken
I was a shift supervisor for about year at a very large miners shop in AZ. Let me first point out that for instance, I know absolutely nothing about the 143 miles (<seemingly) of wiring that inhabit a 793's innards. I had 15 guy's and a working head mechanic who did. It was not my job to figure out exactly what was wrong. It was my job to get the gear in the barn, so the shop could make the repairs and get it back in the field. If that could be done instantly so much the better as an empty truck is a vacuum and nature and truck owners hate vacuums. It was my job to pick the battles we could win and keep the maximum amount of iron in the field that was not scheduled into the shop for PM or component swap due to hours or rebuild because of failure.
Because of the way the shop staff was organized with the Shop Superintendent, two supers under him, several service writers, a safety guy, the shifters, working foreman and a crew that was very talented, that job has been one of my favorite positions ever. The crew didn't need me asking dumb questions, they did have to tell me what they were up against what they felt they needed and a approx timeline to "out the door." In the particular case of the short in the 2 inch bundle of spaghetti that is the loom of a 793 the tech looked at me and said he didn't know... not the answer I was looking for but considering the considerable tenure and talent this man had it was the answer I settled for and 3 shifts later and many many diagnostics later he produced a runner.
My job was easy because that crew was beyond good as well as all the support to the shop including our Cat residents. If I would have dropped dead on the floor, they would have mucked me out and the jobs they were working on would have got done.
It didn't matter that I was female it really was/is a mute point. Anyone in that position can determine fairly quickly who can and who can't.
I was blessed with a group of techs who could really produce. I just got out of the way and made sure that they could safely fly at it.
I was proud of them then and I am still proud of them now. It was my honor to have worked with them.