Jude Herr asked:
I have to say, growing up in Buffalo, NY with a dad who was a contractor, I was quite sheltered from the fact that “most women do not use power tools”. I really had no clue that there was an kind of sex discrimination in the contracting or power tool world. Naive me, all that I heard about was how my Aunt Ronny helped my dad put the roof on our house and my Aunt Marge was refinishing all the woodwork in her home.
I guess I am lucky because I was brought up thinking that as a woman, there wasn’t anything I could not figure out how to fix or remodel or any power tool I could not use. When I bought my first condo, my dad brought me a suitcase full of power tools on his first visit.
My view of reality and discrimination has broadened but luckily my sense of “being able to fix anything myself or use power tools” has stayed the same. I am surprised when power tool manufacturers put out a line of power tools specially designed for women. Personally, I would never purchase a pink tool – or one to fit a woman’s hand. I really just want the best quality tool for the job. There are small men who use tools.
I get it though. I have many girl friends who don’t even know how to hang blinds or even own a hammer for that matter. There are many women who weren’t as fortunate to have the upbringing I did, and the dad I did and did not learn how to use power tools. I have my Real Estate license in Colorado and have helped many of my single women friends purchase their first home, on their own. With more and more women owning homes, there is a definite need to cater to women in the DIY and Home Improvement field and I am all for it.
Articles like Ms. Fix-it in the Wall Street Journal state that “Home Depot has introduced “Do It Herself” clinics for women interested in learning how to use a stud finder; the classes are evidently a success since, as NPR has reported, in some locales the store is becoming known as a hot singles spot. Even schoolgirls are joining the revolution. The Girl Scouts now offer a Ms. Fix-It badge for members eager to learn how to rewire a lamp or fix a leaky toilet, and an outfit called Vermont Work for Women has introduced a summer program called Rosie’s (as in Rosie the Riveter) Girls promising hands on instruction in the skilled trades.”
It’s these types of informative articles and the paradigm shift that is happening in our society that will change the Google search for “women and power tools” to practical.
I have to say, growing up in Buffalo, NY with a dad who was a contractor, I was quite sheltered from the fact that “most women do not use power tools”. I really had no clue that there was an kind of sex discrimination in the contracting or power tool world. Naive me, all that I heard about was how my Aunt Ronny helped my dad put the roof on our house and my Aunt Marge was refinishing all the woodwork in her home.
I guess I am lucky because I was brought up thinking that as a woman, there wasn’t anything I could not figure out how to fix or remodel or any power tool I could not use. When I bought my first condo, my dad brought me a suitcase full of power tools on his first visit.
My view of reality and discrimination has broadened but luckily my sense of “being able to fix anything myself or use power tools” has stayed the same. I am surprised when power tool manufacturers put out a line of power tools specially designed for women. Personally, I would never purchase a pink tool – or one to fit a woman’s hand. I really just want the best quality tool for the job. There are small men who use tools.
I get it though. I have many girl friends who don’t even know how to hang blinds or even own a hammer for that matter. There are many women who weren’t as fortunate to have the upbringing I did, and the dad I did and did not learn how to use power tools. I have my Real Estate license in Colorado and have helped many of my single women friends purchase their first home, on their own. With more and more women owning homes, there is a definite need to cater to women in the DIY and Home Improvement field and I am all for it.
Articles like Ms. Fix-it in the Wall Street Journal state that “Home Depot has introduced “Do It Herself” clinics for women interested in learning how to use a stud finder; the classes are evidently a success since, as NPR has reported, in some locales the store is becoming known as a hot singles spot. Even schoolgirls are joining the revolution. The Girl Scouts now offer a Ms. Fix-It badge for members eager to learn how to rewire a lamp or fix a leaky toilet, and an outfit called Vermont Work for Women has introduced a summer program called Rosie’s (as in Rosie the Riveter) Girls promising hands on instruction in the skilled trades.”
It’s these types of informative articles and the paradigm shift that is happening in our society that will change the Google search for “women and power tools” to practical.