Women and cars; will the women mechanics please stand up?

Women and cars:

Will the women mechanics please stand up? more and more women are getting involved in the performance and technical side of cars. Many women today are coming to reality that there's more to cars than looks and comfort. Many women today would rather work on their own car.

The traditional grungy grimy auto repair shops are not attractive to them. More and more ladies who pay good money for their ride will not leave it with these places.

For many people women and cars are always great together. However, were not talking about the idea of some pin up model holding a wrench. These images don't give any credit to the serious female gear head. We are here for the females who truly love the automotive repair business. Even if its just a hobby.

Things these days are different than they were 20 years ago. Nowadays women are willing and able to perform and go after whatever job they want. Not only for typical traditional positions such as; doctors, lawyers, engineers, business executives, etc., but for nontraditional jobs as well. Many women are holding positions as electricians, plumbers, aircraft technicians and automotive technicians.

There are definite changes going on today in the world of automotive technology. Vehicles these days have many computers and electronics which will require diagnostic know-how for service and repair. Many women are not relying on blind trust anymore when it comes to automotive concerns. Many are learning the basics of automotive service and repair in order to save money, and some have even found a new career.

Some Statistics for Women Mechanics:

* In 1989, there were 880,000 automobile service and repair technicians. 6,000 of them were women.

* In 1999, there were 837,000 automobile service and repair technicians. 12,000 were women.

- Source U.S. Department of Labor

Women and cars:

We have noticed that across the south and southwest United States that the idea of women mechanics is not so recognized as it is in the Midwest and in the Coastal regions. The automotive field is humongous. There are over 55,000 job related fields nationwide. Although many of these positions DO NOT require an individual to perform maintenance on a vehicle, they will connect to automotive maintenance in some fashion.

Most automotive facilities in the U.S. find female mechanics a bit unusual. Historically these positions have been held by males. With the changing times more women are realizing that the automotive field can be fun and interesting as well.

Both male and female mechanics agree that today's high-tech computer-controlled engines are more mentally than physically challenging. Many cars today must be connected to computers where sophisticated diagnostic equipment is used to help technicians pinpoint mechanical or electronic problems.

Women and cars:

As a manager, when running a shop or service center the most important subject is efficiency. Get the cars repaired correctly, and quickly, while keeping the customer happy. This is going to be the same for a shop full of males or females. With the trend of more female customers in the repair shops, women will represent the majority of customers with whom technicians and service managers must communicate with.

As for the female customer, when they see a female technician, many customers say they feel more confident that they’re not getting ripped off.

It may be hard to believe but there are still hurdles to jump for women in the workplace. In positions such as automotive maintenance many females may find the environment uninviting. For many years society has formed a mold of who should be working on cars. In the 1940’s Chrysler hired dozens of women for mechanic positions. They attended formal training just as men did.

This move by Chrysler was a success. The women who were recruited for this position inspired more women learn jobs like this.

Although an ASE report shows that the number of female auto technicians has increased over the past 12 years, some women find it hard to break down gender barriers in the workplace. There will be challenges. Unfortuneatly women will have to endure the male dominated environments until they are fully accepted. There is no doubt that they will be accepted because women have natural problem solving abilities and generally have better attitudes toward complex issues.

So what if you are a female and you’re not interested in a career move but you would love to know more about how to perform auto repair yourself?

Maybe you just want to save money on repairs or maybe it’s a new hobby.

Either way if formal training is not the way you want to go, try starting at your local library. Check out a couple of books on basic car maintenance. Then read your vehicles’ owners manual. Try understanding what is needed in the recommended maintenance schedule. This is a good start, before you know it, you’ll be doing your own tune ups.

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Women and cars to automotive career

Women and Cars to Auto Mechanic