Women in Power(tools)
By
February 28th, 2011
Listen up, ladies: feeling helpless around tools bites the big weenie. I die a little inside every time I hear stories of women pounding in a screw with a hammer to hang artwork or screaming and running from the sight of an overflowing toilet. After hearing a few years’ worth of sad tales like this from my HDD interns and other seminar participants, I decided to take a closer look at why girls shy away from power(tools) and make a plan of action to fix the tool helplessness.
I’m lucky to have grown up with parents who were real estate flippers. My dad did all the remodeling work himself and never discouraged me from following him around on jobs asking tons of construction questions. I could tell the difference between a Phillips head and flat head screwdriver by the time I lost my first tooth, so home maintenance has always been a part of my vocabulary. I discovered many years later that the training my dad gave me was the exception, not the norm: I took for granted that all girls were taught this self-sufficiency. I was horribly wrong.
There seems to be a serious gender inequity in home maintenance training–the majority of boys are sent off to live on their own knowing how to do basic things around the house. Girls, however, are left to fend for themselves and have a boy on speed dial any time they have an issue. So what can I do to help?
Lillian, my six-year-old, has been playing in my toolbox since she could sit up on her own. As she gets older and more dexterous, I’m trusting her with the big boys: power tools. She has a Norm Abram-like reverence for the tools and is thorough in her line of questioning about their safety rules and capabilities for each project. I wish my dad could see her tackle each project with the same curiosity and zeal that I had at her age. Dad died a few months after she was born, but I’m continuing the tradition by teaching Lillian the self-sufficiency that was his greatest legacy.
While thinking about the training my dad gave me, I considered this: everyone with a driver’s license went through some type of training program in order to pass the test and become a bonafide driver, but no type of training or licensing exists for residents. You don’t need any home-related training to sign a lease or get a mortgage, but similar to being on the road, you have ample opportunity to hurt yourself and others by not following the rules and paying attention to home repair and maintenance tasks.
Wouldn’t it be awesome to have that home-related training before living on your own? Can you imagine how empowered women would feel in their homes if they knew the business end of a hammer and understood the basics of home maintenance? Ohhh, and can you also imagine the sheer volume of fathers and boyfriends who would be free from the “omigod-I-saw-a-spider-come-NOWWWWWW!” or (my favorite) “that thing is making that noise again!”calls? Staggering, I tell you.
I’m thrilled to be able to help other women live self-sufficient and safe lives in their homes through my new seminar Women in Power(tools). This edutaining, hands-on seminar features segments ranging from solving simple electrical and plumbing issues to bat-catching techniques to a thorough demonstration of proper hanging accessories for artwork. While promoting independence is a key factor, safety will be showcased through helpful exercises to aid with everything from opening jars to moving furniture without injury. Check out the seminar calendar for upcoming performance dates this month at the Michigan Home & Garden shows in Grand Rapids, Pontiac and Lansing as well as tons of other local venues.
To all my ladies who can rock a power tool, I salute you. To all my ladies who still think that you pound in screws with a hammer…..I’ll train you.
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