'I like proving people wrong': The women taking up DIY and plumbing
Female DIY experts and tradeswomen talk about their experiences of a traditionally male-dominated domain.
In recent years, an explosion of DIY content has flooded social media feeds, showcasing home improvement feats from simple wall repairs to complex projects like building outdoor workshops. Female influencers, once considered a male domain, are inspiring a new generation of women to take up DIY and even trades, which they see as more resilient to AI advancements.
DIY influencer Jasmine Gurney, a former marketer from Bedfordshire, has documented a range of tasks on Instagram, from tearing down partition walls to building a fitted wardrobe for her newborn son. Despite facing trolling for her techniques, Jasmine is determined to prove people wrong and empower other women in the process. The surge in demand for content like Jasmine's can be attributed to COVID lockdowns and the shortage of tradespeople to meet customer needs.
Gen Z women, in particular, are leading the charge in challenging gendered DIY stereotypes, with 82% of them inspired to do more DIY after seeing women doing complex projects on social media. However, not all jobs can be tackled by DIY; sometimes professional help is required. Bliss Cunneen, a 28-year-old plumber from south London, left university to train as a plumber after a whim.
While she has faced doubt from some customers, the online content has helped broaden attitudes towards women taking up trades. Anna Moynihan, founder of TaskHer, a platform connecting female tradespeople with customers, has seen a significant increase in demand for female tradeswomen following the rise of DIY content online. Despite the buzz, women account for a tiny fraction of the UK's construction workforce, but there are encouraging signs of progress.
Written by urgent.news from BBC Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
