Do It Yourself

In the words of the Eurythmics’ feminist anthem, “Sisters are doing it for themselves!” Janet Rickstrew, a DIY enthusiast, is a case in point. She was shopping for an electric drill at her local store in Denver, Colorado when an assistant asked where her husband was. She thought, “That’s it, I’m sick of being patronised when I buy tools,” so she started Tom Boy Tools, a high quality tool company aimed at women.

GETTING TOGETHER

As in the days of Tupperware, Tom Boy Tools sends a representative to a party where the hostess invites friends to see the tools demonstrated. The representative explains how the tools are used and demonstrates some basic home repairs and DIY projects although, obviously, the intention is to sell tools. And the company has been very successful, hosting over 3,000 parties in its first year. A similar trend is evident in the UK. Staff at B&Q Warehouse, Europe’s biggest DIY chain (B&Q stands for its founders, Block & Quayle) have noticed a 50 per increase in the number of women buying power tools over the last 10 years.

A MAN ABOUT THE HOUSE

B&Q has also introduced Women’s Clubs in stores across the country. These clubs have proved very successful and in 2004 B&Q designed a range of products specifically for the female market. It has also introduced tools which are ergonomically designed to be comfortable for smaller hands. Graham McNally, Service Manager at the B&Q store in Blackpool, Lancashire, says that the members at the Women’s Club tend to be widows, divorcees and single ladies who have got financial restraints. Others either have “no man about the house” or else one that doesn’t like doing DIY...

A Woman’s View?

Speaker: Justin Ratcliffe (Standard British accent)

DIY, or “Do It Yourself,” has traditionally been considered a man’s job. Whether it’s fixing a lightbulb, putting up a shelf, or re-tiling the bathroom, we tend to think that “the man of the house” will take care of it. But all that is changing and women’s DIY is booming. June Webb is a typical example of this new trend. She explains why she became interested in DIY:

June Webb (Standard British accent):

I started doing DIY ‘cause I had a husband that didn’t do DIY. He was more interested in the business and his sport and things... around the house just didn’t get done. I used to wallpaper the living room overnight because we had a toddler and we were convinced that if she saw how the paper went on the walls, she’d know how to get it off! So Roger would go to bed and I would do the decorating overnight so that toddler Nicola wouldn’t know how it got there. That’s what got me started, and then, between husbands, shall we say, it was a case of having to. I needed a new kitchen in a house, so go and buy the kitchen units, and it’s only a case of reading the instructions from B&Q or wherever, put the units together, stick them to the wall, as it says and, work surface, tiling. You just sort of learn, don’t you? You get more confidence and you do more and more.