Two women for about fifty men. At Sparica, we are still far from equal. Despite its stated commitment to gender equality, the remote repair specialist has struggled to bring female profiles into the ranks of its technical teams. That’s the fault of an industry still marked by gender bias, hard-nosed clichés and a public that is sometimes hostile to repair workers and other home appliance technicians.
Last June, the company officially organized an awareness workshop on single-sex repairs. “Make Repair Accessible to All”. Democratizing the repair process and offering a wide range of technical expertise is impossible to do without half the world’s population.
A workshop on pain management
“We have monthly training workshops led by our technicians and never once did I feel out of place. So, I told myself that everyone should be able to experience it. should”Summary of Cindy Augusto, Communications Manager at Sparica. Hence the idea of this famous workshop is exclusively for women.
“We decided to take responsibility and reserve the event for women. It helped to avoid some pain. If there were men, I don’t believe they would have dared to look at the toolbox.notes Cindy Augusto. Enough to create an environment conducive to learning and copying rather than reproducing old patterns that would see men dominate everything related to cruciforms and flat pliers.
Progress in a crawl
Because if women still mainly take care of laundry within same-sex couples (83% according to a study by Ipsos in 2018), washing machine repair is still an activity considered masculine, According to Ifop. More generally, small DIY tasks are still the prerogative of men who spend 20 minutes a day on it compared to 5 minutes for women, according to the Inequality Observatory.
It is difficult to fight against habits that are so pervasive in morality. However, the repair professions are gradually becoming more feminized, as Balqis, a technician working for Sparica among others, proved. “When I started, there were no women. Then we went from just me to five women in three years. There’s still a lot to do but we’re slowly making progress.notes the woman who found herself at the forefront of feminism in the profession.
In training, this timid evolution is also noticeable, even if, as Julien Wypych, general director of the Ducretet training network, admits, the number of women “Unfortunately, it is still very weak today.”. In classes of 15 elements, there are usually only one or two women, the manager regrets. “And they’re often the best.”.
On land, difficult adaptation
From the business side, we use positive discrimination to feminize the ranks, notes an expert in training technicians. “I’ve always had the opportunity to meet companies that have put things in place to make things run as smoothly as possible.”testifies Bilqis, who adds that “Harassment is taken very seriously” In these cases.
On Earth, there are still many obstacles for those who dare to take the leap. “We often find ourselves alone with clients and we invade their privacy. In this context, we need to know that we are supported by our companies.explains the expert. I have been in inappropriate situations before. In those cases, I was either able to end it right away or I walked away.
“We often find ourselves alone with customers and we intrude into their private lives. In this context, we need to know that we are supported by our companies.
And while there are no objections or inappropriate comments at his door, hostility sometimes manifests itself through users. “Who would prefer it to be a man and not a woman to do the repairs?” Note the Julian Whipch. “There is a need to create awareness on the part of the customer as well”maintains Bilqis. As is often the case, to prove their legitimacy, technologists are obliged to openly demonstrate that they know what they are talking about. “I always have to use technical terms to be taken seriously. When I discuss it with my colleagues, they don’t feel that way.”he adds.
A vicious circle
Beyond the overtly sexist behavior she sometimes encountered, Bilqis highlights the more insidious obstacles to the democratization of these professions. “Often, gloves and boots are not appropriate. We need small PPE. [équipements de protection individuelle, NDLR] Even on the level of the devils, the elevations are not the sameexplains the expert. Nothing that a bit of careful supplier ordering can’t solve, but another sign of women’s difficult integration into the profession.
As is often the case in these cases, the lack of parity creates a vicious circle. Without role models in these professions, women drop out of training, which in turn deprives the sector of much-needed diversity. “The problem is upstream.analysis by Julian Wipich. Technical occupations are already undervalued. I’m surprised that teachers, CPEs, or even parents sometimes value these jobs. Feminist work will only be possible if the government authorities understand that the development of this sector should be encouraged. A change in mindset is needed.”.
Legality of the operation
But it is not only on the source that efforts need to be made. Cindy Augusto says companies must also do their share of responsibility. “At Singlesex Workshop, there was no business objective. We didn’t even offer our own parts sales service. We’ve invested heavily in these awareness projects and that’s part of our mission.
There is no doubt that a workshop hosted by Sparika tends to make a name for itself among participants, but the initiative also resonates well with the rest of the industry. “In our ecosystem, we’ve had great feedback from Hop, SOS Accessory, etc. We have everything to gain from joining forces on this topic.explains who came up with the idea for these workshops.
Among the screwdriver novices, “We didn’t have any bad feedback.describe Cindy Augusto. They were all too happy to skip the DIY basics. We want women to feel justified and comfortable doing this type of operation at home..
A loss when processing
Interestingly, Sparika YouTube channel’s female audience has grown significantly and now stands at 30%. However, when it comes time to take action, only 5% of Sparica’s clients become female clients. The reason for this is not to be found in the sexist bias that suggests that women do not move their washing machines because they are not muscular enough. “Physical strength is not the standard that allows one to evolve in this universe.”Julian whiplash aside.
