In her field, Brittany Schultz is used to being the lone woman. She was the first female in her school’s history to graduate with an associate’s degree in automotive tech and she’s never met another female technician.
“I’ve had a plethora of reactions that are insulting,” Schultz says. “It’s something that people are not used to seeing.”
Even though she’s used to it, it doesn’t make the comments or the assumptions less frustrating. Here are a few misconceptions that Schultz would like to clear up.
Women Don’t Know About Cars.
“I think this is the most common misconception. People that I’ve talked to one the phone sometimes ask to speak to a technician even after I’ve explained that I’m qualified and that I know what I’m talking about. It’s degrading—we have the same abilities as everyone else.”
If You Work On Cars, You Can’t Be Feminine.
“You can be whatever kind of girl you want to be,” Schultz explains. “Not only is there a stereotype that women don’t belong in blue collared jobs, but then it does even further to say that if you are in that type of position then you can’t be feminine. If that’s true, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that but that’s not how I am. You can be any type of woman and be successful in this line of work.”
Read more about Brittany Schultz, technician at Christian Brothers Automotive Hoover, here.
