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Home improvement parties for women

03/01/06

An American company which runs parties to allow women to get to grips with basic home maintenance and DIY tasks is planning to expand into the UK this year.

Tomboy Tools has already enjoyed massive success in the US and Canada where women meet up to exchange tips about basic home maintenance work such as plastering, plumbing and fixing broken appliances.

Although a consultant is on hand to lead the group and offer expert advice, the setting remains informal - similar to Tupperware parties of a generation ago.

The company employs a total of 650 consultants across North America but plans to double in size over the course of the coming year.

In Britain, women currently make eight out of ten home improvement decisions as well as six out of ten DIY purchases, according to a survey by Proficiency Group.

And women are no longer simply doing a spot of painting or putting up new curtains. Over half of those surveyed say they have fixed a problem with their toilet whilst 46 per cent have repaired a leaking tap.

Janet Rickstrew, who founded Tomboy Tools with two friends in 2000, said that women just needed a few basic instructions to help them carry out work as well as their partners can.

"In the past, women thought that it wasn't their job and that it was down to their husbands. Now it is a question of fostering confidence and empowerment," she told the Independent.