Most women have had to deal with mechanics, and all women have had to deal with sexism. When the two forces are combined a whole mess of trouble ensues, or, at least, it should.
I had the misfortune of coming in contact with this mechanic-centric-sexism. Pulling up to the “lube-specialists,” they instructed me to drive into their business—me, the owner and driver of the vehicle—then they proceeded to ask my passenger, who happened to be male, what he wanted done to the car. He looked to me, a little surprised as well, then told the man I wanted an oil change. The mechanic, for the sake of anonymity let's call him Shibrian, told us to go sit in the waiting room and it would be just a moment. Ten minutes later he came into the small waiting room and asked my passenger to come with him into the garage. This is where Shibrian showed him under the hood of my car and told him what he should do to fix some (possibly fabricated) problem that was going on. My passenger then had to come back and relay this all to me because this was not, in fact, his car. A few minutes later Shibrian told us we were all set and could pay, then told my passenger the amount—which was ungodly for an oil change, FYI—at which point I got out my wallet and handed him the cash. He then had the audacity to turn around and hand my change to my passenger, of which I had to take out of his hand. The other mechanic in the garage then asked who to give the keys to and my passenger, thinking this entire situation was hilarious, asked if I wanted him to drive, to which I answered, very loudly, that I can operate my own vehicle, thank you very much.
Growing up my father knew about cars and always fixed anything I ever had problems with, or he had friends with connections, could always find that part, or belt, or filter that I needed, and I rarely worried about such things. Now living over a two hour drive away, I've had to deal with car troubles on my own. I was perfectly comfortable with this idea—I am a big girl after all, I can take care of myself— but never could I have imagined that someone would have ignored me outright just because I'm a woman. I have a few friends who, when I recounted this incident to, confessed that they never go to the mechanic and make their husbands get the oil changed every time. Car dealerships, I am told, are much, much worse, but that's a whole other article.
This led me to search out a female mechanic in Milwaukee. I have heard of such a unicorn-like rarity. My own sister said a woman replaced her windshield wiper once, and I was awestruck. I had to find out for myself if she existed. After a few, “Nope, no women here,” calls I finally found one named Michelle White who works at the Menomonee Falls Firestone Car Center. She knows just how special it is that she's in her field. “[Female mechanics are] very, very rare. I know personally about three, and I know a lot of mechanics,” White said.
White took automotive classes in high school to get the basics and liked it so she kept with it. She got a job offer right out of high school and has been doing that ever since. She knows sexism is out there in the mechanic industry, but says she hasn't dealt with it personally. She said people appreciate what she does for them, especially the women. “What I do personally is I'll talk to the [customer] to show them what I see because not everyone knows about cars, and I don't want them to think they're getting ripped off.”
What happened to me didn't have to happen and very well shouldn't have. I didn't do as I should have: demand that the mechanic talk to me and not my partner; inform the men of the shop that I was the owner of the vehicle and was very well capable of driving all by myself; I should have said that as the owner I should know what's what with my car; and I should have inquired why my bill was so high, but I didn't. Female readers should learn from my mistake and not take these injustices sitting down. Next time you get an oil change or your breaks checked, go by yourself, speak directly to the mechanic, ask questions, learn about that enigma that is the automobile, and maybe you can save yourself from the kind of scene I encountered. Also, if you are or know of any more female mechanics, or female-friendly mechanics, that deserve recognition leave a comment here for they're sure to get some loyal business.