Newest trend in DIY packs a feminine punch.
I just watched a news story about women tackling DIY projects. Being a single woman, in a new home I've had to tackle more projects that I had contemplated in the past and I have discovered that I am actually in a majority.
Women are no longer afraid to take charge in their own homes and build, remodel, tear down, and just plain renovate. Home Depot realized this and has developed some classes targeted specifically at women to teach them the basics they may not have learned while growing up. Some tool companies are even manufacturing tools designed specifically for women.
But this trend may have more to do with necessity than choice. In my case I believe this to be, at least partly, the case. Statistics say that single women are more than twice as likely to buy a home than single men. Many of these women are divorced and studies have shown that a woman's income will most likely plummet after a divorce, leaving some of them near poverty level. With a mortgage looming over their heads and a drastically decreased income, women can no longer afford to have costly home repairs done by overpriced contractors.
There is also a psychological factor to DIY projects for women. For most of our lives we're pushed away from manual labor and either told we cannot handle home repairs or some knight in shining armor steps in to help us out. When a newly single woman, in her very own home, installs her own hardwood floors, fixes a leak, rewires her electrical system, etc she feels empowered, re-energized and able to conquer the world.
So, I am happy to join the ranks of DIY women around the world and take control of my home as well as my life.
