Philadelphia, PA, May 23--In the do-it-yourself home improvement field, women are clearly a force to be reckoned with. In a national survey released today, nearly half the women said they had undertaken a home improvement project in the past two years and had done at least some of the work themselves.
However, judging from the reactions these women receive when they tell people about their handiwork, do-it-yourself home improvement projects are still considered a man's job.
Nearly one-third of the women surveyed said people were surprised or shocked to learn they did home improvement projects themselves. While some people reacted to the achievements of these women with indifference, 14 percent of female do-it-yourselfers said others were envious of their efforts and 13 percent said people "think they're Martha Stewart."
The national telephone survey of 1,037 women was conducted by Opinion Research Corporation on behalf of SCOTT Rags in a Box. Forty-five percent of these women (472) said they had taken on a home improvement project in the past two years.
Why do women take on home improvement projects? The number one reason is money. The second most important reason is personal pride and satisfaction. Other factors, in descending order of importance, are: being able to do things their own way; not having to wait for someone else to do the work; not being dependent upon a man to get the job done; and working with their hands.
Before starting a home improvement project, nearly half the women seek assistance at a local home center or hardware store, or watch TV or cable home improvement programs. Consulting friends and reading books shared second place. Research on the Internet scored a surprisingly low 11 percent. Reading magazines and attending how-to clinics trailed behind all of these.
The most popular home improvement project for women was painting, with nearly nine out of ten respondents selecting this from a list of do-it-yourself projects. Bathroom remodeling came in next but was far behind, at 38 percent. Wallpapering was a close third, followed by plumbing, kitchen remodeling, tile work, additions or renovations, electrical work, laying carpet, and window replacement.
Shopping in a home improvement center was described as "easy" by nearly one-third of respondents, while one quarter termed it "more fun than food shopping." Twenty-one percent, however, described it as necessary but not very pleasant.
Home improvement stores did receive high marks for their marketing efforts and treatment of women, with 64 percent of respondents saying the stores did a good job overall. Fifteen percent thought stores should offer more do-it-yourself classes. In general, however, critics were few. Only a small number of respondents said these stores catered to women only in traditionally female departments such as decorating, or suggested they should sell more products designed for women, or make their stores "more feminine."
