A Mom And Her Tools-Not So Strange After All

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

15 Oct 2006 03:49 PM

This is a follow up to my previous blog about the perceived stereotype of women and tools. I believe I may have put the cart before the horse in listing my top 5 favorite tools and neglecting to mention the many, many women who consider their power tools their favorite accessories. These are women who not only welcome tools as gifts, but also go out and buy them for themselves.

A growing segment of the female population takes their tools very seriously. In fact, a recent report stated that last Mother's Day Amazon Books' hardware site sold nearly as many power tools as it did for Father's Day. Another sign that women's interest in power tools is increasing: Sears' Craftsman Club says that its number of women members is way up. Sears also reports that women are actually putting their tools to good use. The company says their research shows women don't limit their activities to painting and wallpapering. They install ceramic tile, sheetrock, windows and ceiling fans. They fix things all through the house. They even dabble in electrical work and build furniture and additions.

In doing research for this blog I also found a testimonial given by a 70-year-old grandmother who said she started using her husband's power tools after he died. She now is well versed in what it takes to use an electric saw and a circular saw. She even said she helped her grandson install speakers in his car. Go Grandma!

According to Black & Decker, the first item a woman usually buys is a cordless screwdriver. Then comes a drill. The third item is a saw, either circular or a jigsaw. If she is more into crafts, a jigsaw is the thing. The fourth is a sander.

And a recent study conducted by Home Depot further proves that women enjoy working with tools on home improvement projects. In fact, an amazing 37% of women said they would rather do home improvements than hit the malls (28 %) or cook (25%). An even more surprising statistic (to me anyway): 54% of women versus 51% of men said there are currently undertaking some home improvement project.

Related Article:

Top 5 Tools For Women (Or Men) To Have Around The House

Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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Linda Hansen (1796) 15 Oct 2006 04:18 PM

I love my power tools! Before we moved into this house, I worked 8 months on patching sheetrock, installed all the trimwork and baseboards, painted, wallpapered, hung doors, laid, floor tile, refinished the kitchen cabinets (my dad built them over 40 yrs ago) and laid ceramic tile on the countertops and backsplash, and so much more! Artcraft

Michele Cheplic (37349) 16 Oct 2006 01:52 PM

Power On artcraft! Thanks for the comment--you rock!