I’m a traveller – everyone assumes us women aren’t allowed jobs, but there’s a reason we don’t work with country folk
A WOMAN from the traveller community has debunked the myth that the women don’t work.
Heidi Clee, a mum-of-two revealed the real reason why gypsy woman don’t work in normal settings.
She revealed that there’s a common misconception that traveller women tend to stay at home looking after the house and children instead of working but that it wasn’t always the case.
Responding on social media to a comment that read: “I’m Irish and never heard of a traveller girl working, I don’t think their husbands/families allow it, good for you girl.”
But Heidi was quick to reveal that wasn’t the case in a video.
The mum said: “When it comes to traveller and Gypsy women working, it’s never a case that they are not allowed to.
“That’s not the situation.
“Yes, we do kind of tend to live more traditional lives with the men work, and the women are homemakers.”
Heidi explained that she wasn’t talking for everyone in the community but this was her experience with trying to work as a traveller.
She revealed she worked countless jobs before becoming a mum, but there were two reasons many decided not to enter the work force and make it difficult for them to do so.
Heidi said that there was a lot of discriminating towards travellers in the workforce, something she had experienced firsthand.
When working, her employees discovered she was from the traveller community, and revealed to her they wouldn’t have hired her if they had known.
Heidi continued: “Any other job I had, I never tell them I’m a traveller because of that exact reason, I was gonna get the sack.
“We all know that. Like, that’s just how it is.”
An ONS survey revealed that gypsy and traveller participants described barriers to employment, including a lack of skills, education or formal qualifications, and perceived discrimination from employers, colleagues, and the settled community.
While Heidi wasn’t happy with the discrimination she faced, she said it was inevitable and why so many people form the traveller community start their own businesses instead.
Facts on gypsy and traveller communities
Typically, gypsies is a term used to describe Romani people who migrated to Europe from India while traveller refers to a person with either Irish, Scottish or English heritage.
Around 300,000 Gypsy, Roma and Irish travellers are thought to live in the UK.
All three groups come from nomadic ways of life, however, as it is increasingly difficult to find land to live on, many are moving into permanent housing.
They place high value on family life and often live close together even after reaching adult years and getting married.
Often the men are the breadwinners of the family while the women stay home.
While many English gypsy girls are allowed to drink alcohol and go on holiday with their friends before they get married, their Irish counterparts are not.
She added: “Instead they start their own businesses and work under like, their own rules, where they know that they ain’t gonna get the sack if anyone finds out they’re a traveller, because guess what? They’re the boss.”
Women from the community often work for themselves, she said, making dresses, homeware or becoming beauty experts so they can work on their own terms.
This also helps them have the freedom to continue to travel as and when they please.
“It’s definitely not a case of that we are not allowed to work,” she concluded.
“It’s just that how we work is a little bit different, just like how we live.”
The clip posted to her TikTok account @h.mccc was inundated with comments praising Heidi for speaking up on the discrimination she and other travellers face.
People were quick to share their thoughts in the comments.
One person wrote: “Oh Heidi. That’s awful that people would say that and be like that. I’m sorry.”
Another commented: “it’s absolutely disgusting that people think they have the right to speak and treat other people like this…. I’m sorry!”
“I just don’t understand why people treat you all that way. Every exposure I have seen from your community has been so lovely. I admire your values,” penned a third.
Meanwhile a fourth said: “this is awful. I can’t believe this is an actual thing. there should be a law that upholds your rights that actually stops this discrimination.”
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