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Why Aren't There More Women Woodworkers?

13K views 191 replies 78 participants last post by  kelvancra 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
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My question is sincere, so please don't chew me up and spit me out for it.

Why is it that we don't see more woodworkers who are women?

Is it at least starting to increase?
 

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#2 ·
My wife is disabled & cannot work outside of the home. She is fixing to start doing a little woodwork on her better days. She will not be able to pick up a heavy piece of wood, but we'll help cut the pieces to size for her. She's helped me in the past & she's looking forward to using a scroll & band saw again. We made sure the table was at the correct height for her chair.
 
#5 ·
I've seen quite a few very accomplished ladies on this site. Hence my statement that I like the diverse membership on this site.
In 7th and 8th grade (1957) all ladies took shop classes and boys took home ecc. co-ed.
The ladies always excelled in woodworking especially finishes.
I think it's a patience thing.
By the way we have many lady pipefitters in our trades and they excel in welding.
Maybe the ladies just don't make as much noise.
 
#6 ·
i have known a number of women in the related trades
over the years
taught some too (still do)

you don't hear many say things like

'here hold my my beer , and watch this'

but then again
you don't hear many men say

'oh, look at my new choo's'
 
#10 ·
Most women I know have no interest in woodworking…I'm not sure why; I don't think it is a sexist thing, they are all otherwise independent professionals, they just prefer to knit (seriously) or have book clubs (again, seriously) rather than have woodworking for a hobby.
 
#11 · (Edited by Moderator)
Quite a simple answer…there are not as many women woodworkers because most women are just not interested in woodworking, sawdust, mess, tools, etc. The women that have do have an interest are very talented and skilled. My wife and I participate in a lot of art and high end craft shows and we notice most female artists focus their creativity on other mediums.

I have tried to get my wife interested in working in the shop but she has absolutely no interest.
 
#13 ·
We're out there but it's a different world for us.
Now I won't pretend to speak for other women in woodworking so I'll speak from my experience only.
I was the first girl in my entire county to take wood shop in high school in 75/76. It took a meeting of the school board and a letter from my parents to get me in and of course there was talk. I passed with flying colors and the teacher wasn't easy on me since he wasn't crazy about having me in his class. He tried to assign my jobs in the shop as sweeping up and putting away and keeping me away from the tools because he was sure I was going to cut off my arm. I finally had a meeting with him and explained that I knew my way around a table saw - learned from my father and grandfather - that I could identify any species he'd care to whip out and for Christmas the previous year I got a set of turning tools. After that, we understood each other.

Over the years I tried to find other things that held my interest-cooking, crochet, needlework and the like (my x-husband wasn't crazy about a wife with a wood shop, one of the reasons he's now an X) :)
but I kept going back to wood. With a granddad and father who both had shops, I couldn't help it.

The x-husband finally gave up and started ignoring it and I got into it full time, starting with antique furniture (what my dad did and what I knew best). It wasn't easy dealing with lumber yards and hardware stores. Answering the same question - "What are you going to do with it?" became tedious and hearing the same "Honey, have your husband come down and we'll get him what he wants" irritated me beyond words. I also dealt with stereotyping - a woman with short hair, a strong back and into woodworking had to be gay. Just no way around it. Otherwise she'd be in the kitchen and raising kids.

Please.

When I got into carving and inlay, attitudes changed a bit. People appreciated the 'art' but they still didn't believe the building and repairing parts. I learned to let it go. I didn't care if they knew I built all the bookcases in the house or the entertainment center or the headboard. Or if I rebuilt and refinished the old oak armoire and the kitchen table. It didn't matter because my customers were happy, I was making money and I knew my skills.

That was years ago. Too many to think about.
I've been working on furniture now for 33 years. After our house burned in '09 my partner and I rebuilt a log home and most of the furniture in it. I put up all the tongue and groove vaulted ceiling because he couldn't deal with the scaffolding. We share tools equally though he claims the table saw as his, I claim the lathe as mine. :)

I was fortunate to find him. He appreciated my determination and my knowledge and I think he was a bit envious of my router bit collection. lol The fact that I'm not into makeup and fashion and designer nails was a plus for him - that's money that can go towards another load of cherry and walnut - as long as I cleaned up pretty well so we could go out in public. He's never had to explain a design, never had to convince me on a tool purchase and knows I won't fuss if the yard isn't mowed when we're in the midst of a build.

I think one of the things about women woodworkers is that we're not taught the same things as children that boys are taught. I was lucky to have a dad that did take the time. Mom still taught me to cook and clean and do laundry but I had the added benefit of also being allowed in the shop. Both of my grandfathers were also good about letting me 'help' with repairs and building jobs which was where I learned framing and electrical.
Some women also have problems with physical strength. Let's face it - a sheet of plywood isn't the easiest thing to move around without help. Then there's the sweating, the dust, the noise, the occasional mashed thumb and too-tight collets. Not things little girls are taught to appreciate or understand.

But I believe the main thing is desire and an early introduction to the woodworking world. Maybe there isn't an interest and that's OK. But I think if more girls were at least exposed to it we'd see more women woodworkers around.
 
#14 ·
Let me condemn society. In my youth girls took home economics and the boys were sent to shop. No choice. So society mandated it then. In the 35 years since I graduated, things have changed dramatically. More and more women involved in mechanics, woodworking and other physical trades. Oddly, I see more young men moving into the "traditionally female" jobs such as secretarial and nursing. In the current younger generation, I find young women to be much better workers than young men. A big thumbs up to the women, a depressing thumbs down to the young men.
 
#17 ·
I firmly believe that it s increasing. There is a lot more here than people realize. They just don t talk as much as some of us.

- mojapitt
Of course I'm laughing now. :)
 
#19 ·
Can only assume this is a societal influence development. Believe that this will change over time. I include my wife and daughters in the shop time as appropriate and this may not have been the case in days gone by. May have been learning a different skill set/interest working with mom exclusive.
 
#20 ·
Ditto a lot of what Karen W said. My dad taught me to build starting as a toddler. Working on a house with him was way more fun than staying home doing dishes. And when we were done, dad would get ice cream or Mcdonalds (don't tell mom). No shop class though.

I keep running into women woodworkers in unexpected places. Most don't seem surprised anymore about another woman woodworker. Many just seem to quietly fit it into busy lives and don't get around to talking about it much.
 
#23 ·
Women woodworkers aren't surprising to me but figure the low numbers simply has to do with overall lack of interest and little active "recruitment" of any youth into woodworking. My daughter played in my shop when I was messing around out back and helped with projects but she really hasn't shown much interest in years. She was always more interested in knitting, crochet, sewing (not popular anymore with girls she says). My boys could care less also about it, although my middle boy does like to carve some and I give my youngest nails all the time to drive into every piece of wood I don't have stashed out of his reach, so I have hope.

To be honest I can say the same for men also once you get leave a certain demographic. When I was growing up you only took shop if you were failing school or a disruptive student they very much steered a certain type of youth into the class. I don't know anyone that has an interest in woodworking in my overall coworker work experience the past 20 years. Golf, fishing, tennis, running, mountain biking, sailing, etc…. Historically everyone I have known that did woodworking were old guys.
 
#26 ·
Our local Woodworkers' Guild has seen a marketable increase in the number of Lady Woodworkers. Just a few short years ago we only had two that were members. Now there is probably somewhere north of twenty. We offer a begiining woodworking class twice a year and the ladies usually outnumber the men in those classes. And it's taught by a former high school woodshop teacher that just happens to be a lady. As long as there are the likes of Megan Fitzpatrick and Mag Ruffman out there showing what can be done, I don't see it slowing down any. I welcome the addition of women to the woodshop.
 
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