Close your eyes and imagine that you are attending a shop class and were being taught how to weld. Welding is a mechanical, hands on, knowledge based activity. You need to pay close and careful attention to your teacher as they describe the methods used while welding. After the teacher skillfully shows you how to complete a perfect stringer bead weld, and all of the safety measures you need to take, they hand you the welder. It’s your turn and so the teacher asks you to try.
Open your eyes. Who was your teacher? Was the person whom you imagined a woman? How about a 9 year old girl? The answer is most likely, “no”, which is precisely why our good friend Emily Pilloton founded Girls Garage – to break gender gaps and bust through stereotypes that girls don’t ‘make’ or ‘build’.
