Tracey Francisco bought a drill about six months ago, but it sits unused and still in its original packaging.
That could now change, as she has built a wooden insect motel in a workshop designed to teach women how to use power tools.
“I didn’t have the confidence to use it (the drill), so it stayed in its box, but now I think I’ll take it out and try that,” says Ms. Francisco, who lives alone.
It is not a skill that was given to her at a young age.
“At school, it was always the case that the girls did the sewing and the boys did the textiles and woodwork. So the girls never really had a chance to learn.”
Remain autonomous
Data from the Australian Institute of Family Studies from 2023 shows that 55 percent of people living alone are women and about half of them are aged 65 or over.
The size of households is steadily decreasing. 26 percent of households are now occupied by only one person.
Power tool workshops like the one Ms Francisco attended at Horsham Neighbourhood House in western Victoria help women living alone maintain their autonomy.
“I have quite a few boxes of disassembled furniture at home that I have to put together, and even though all the pieces are there, sometimes you still have to drill a few holes and put in a few screws to make things fit,” she says.
“I also have a very limited budget, so it’s much easier if I can just do things myself.”
“You’re going to get hurt, darling.”
Ms. Francisco’s trainer for the day was registered nurse Jacquei Quach, who describes herself as a “tinkerer” who was “lucky” to grow up on a farm.
“I didn’t have any brothers, so… our dad taught us how to use chainsaws, drive tractors, and use all kinds of tools because we just had to go to the farm and work there.”
Because of her upbringing, Ms. Quach wanted to share her knowledge of power tools and wood and metal working with other women who may not have the same skills and confidence.
“I have a lot of friends whose husbands are always saying, ‘Oh, don’t use the chainsaw, you’ll hurt yourself, honey,’ or ‘Don’t use the angle grinder, it’s not for girls.'”
But Ms Quach says learning to use a power tool doesn’t just mean being able to operate a drill, it also means doing basic plumbing, fixing a leaky faucet or installing a door lock.
She says it’s important to have a safe space where women can develop their experiences “without being made to feel stupid” or like it’s an unnecessary skill.
Ms Quach says some women may not know where to learn, and others may not want to learn because they prefer more traditional gender roles.
“It’s disempowerment… what if your male partner dies?” she says.
“We see this a lot with women paying bills… when the male partner does all that, suddenly the woman is very, very lost.”
“We always talk about how men should be in the house doing the laundry and cooking. So why can’t the partner or wife be in the shed using power tools?”
Autarky required
Noelene Brown is another participant who found the workshop encouraging.
“I want to become a craftsman,” she says.
“(The workshop) has now given me the confidence to perhaps tackle some of the tasks at home that I would not have been able to do before.
“It’s really important for women my age to have the ability to do things themselves, because it’s really difficult to find a handyman to come over… and hang a picture or fix a doorknob, all those little chores around the house.”
According to Ms Brown, being independent is even more important for women living alone in rural Australia.
“We are often the only ones who can repair things because we don’t always have access to tradesmen.”
Rajna Ogrin, a research fellow at the Bolton Clarke Research Institute, expects the trend of more older women living alone to continue, as women tend to live longer than men and are often single parents whose children have moved out.
Dr Ogrin says that while teaching women how to use power tools is helpful, more needs to be done to make older women aware of community services that can support them.
Living independently
As part of her research, Dr. Ogrin surveyed women aged 55 or older who live alone about the requirements for independent living.
In their view, most women wanted “practical help”, such as changing a light bulb that was too high, moving heavy objects around the house or garden, or changing bed linen when their physical abilities changed.
Another obstacle was transportation, as often the former partner was the main driver and public transportation was not accessible.
She says that since tradesmen no longer come for “small jobs,” women are more likely to rely on their informal network of friends, neighbors or other trusted personal contacts. But that has decreased over time.
“(We) seem to have lost a little bit of knowledge about who can help others, who has the time to help, and having that connection in the community where people can support each other when they need help.”
Dr Ogrin says that with the closure of local newspapers, there are not many opportunities for older women to participate in community activities and programs offered by local community centers, U3A groups and Probus clubs that could promote their independence beyond their personal network.
“There is a wealth of activity out there if you know where to look,” she says.
And if something is not available, women should ask.
“Because if you don’t know or can’t, there are certainly others like you who are in the same boat.”
