More women take up shearing as a job in the wool shed and in competition

Like many people learning to shear sheep, Mikayla Hall's first day on the job was tough.

"She had blisters on every finger; they were big, thick blisters and she was in tears," recalls her mother, Alana Black. 

Three years on, 24-year-old Mikalya earns a living from shearing and does it for fun on weekends, having earned a name for herself as one of the fastest women on the Australian speed shearing circuit.

In these competitions, the wool on the sheep's belly, head and hocks has already been removed and two shearers race to take off the rest.

"You have to shear your sheep as quick and cleanly as you can," she said. "It's quite difficult because if your sheep kicks, just one second [delay] can put you back 10 places."

After winning the women's speed shear in Wagga Wagga in 2024, Mikayla earned a spot on an Australian team that toured the United Kingdom.

At the Welsh International Speed Shear, she recorded an impressive time of just under 25 seconds, placing eighth in the women's competition.

Mikayla said taking part in the competitions helped her maintain enthusiasm.

"You meet all the learners coming up or the guys that know every detail about shearing," she said. 

Inspired by her mother's 'hard work'

Mikalya and her three siblings grew up around the wool sheds of the southern tablelands of New South Wales, helping their mother, Alana Black, who's also a shearer.

"There were no other females working in the shed at the start, it was just Mum," Mikalya said.

"It was awesome to see how hard she worked around all the other boys. Nothing knocked her down, and it's still exactly the same."

Alana left a career in nursing for the wool industry, working in lamb marking and wool handling before picking up the shearing handpiece.

"I never had a problem with anyone in the shed, everyone was always welcoming, and I wasn't doing it to prove a point, it's just better money," she said. 

"The guys were always there to help you learn a blow [cut of fleece] or show you an easier way or laugh at you when you've stuffed up, and I've got good mates in the shed."

Alana is proud that all four of her children work in the industry, and even after that tough first day, she wasn’t concerned about Mikayla taking up the trade.

"I always ask her how many sheep she's done, and if she's rung the shed, what else can I say? She's my daughter, and I'm pretty proud of her."

Still an industry dominated by men

Census data from 2021 shows that women make up less than 5 per cent of the shearing workforce.

However, the industry believes more women took up shearing to fill gaps when international shearers could not travel during COVID.

Rob Harris, head agriculture teacher at the TAFE NSW Primary Industry Centre in Wagga Wagga, has been involved in shearing and wool training for more than 30 years.

Once, the classes were full of men, but now half of his wool classing students are women, and about 10 per cent of the learners are shearers.

"They're terrific shearers, they're really smooth, they get on the skin, have few cuts, and they start pumping them out. They're really good," he said.

"If you've got other women there who can be mentors, that is just so much better … even though it might be a male-dominated area, the success of all women in agriculture is really good."

Mikayla has this message for other young women considering shearing.

"Know that it is going to be tough, and you might cry a little bit; it's OK, you can do that," she said.

"But definitely get into it, you meet some amazing people, and you can travel all over the world."

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