A mother and owner of a painting and decorating business in Somerset has revealed the struggles of working in a male-dominated industry. After becoming a single mother in 2014, local Rachel Bates started a decorating business in a bid to pay the bills and provide more flexibility to support her three sons.
His award-winning business, BATES&MiSONS, has brought color and life to his local community of Chard. However, she says she has encountered “challenges” in the industry, including customers directing their questions to her partner instead of her.
Rachel said: “I think it’s great that more women are choosing to enter the profession. It’s the kind of profession that can offer more flexibility if you have a family, but you still have to work – you can’t expect to work only three days a week if a job isn’t getting done.
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“As a woman, I encountered challenges along the way – I had jobs where customers would ask my partner Luke all the questions despite it being my business! struggled to find workwear suitable for women early on in my career, although it has improved in recent years.”
Rachel added: “But at the same time it’s brilliant work and you can produce beautiful work that you can be really proud of. I’ve also gotten a lot of praise from people when they see me around town. with my decorating blanks – if I were to retire tomorrow, these are the positives I will always remember.”
Rachel BatesRachel Bates
BATES&MiSONS is supporting Pip’s Railway Carriage Café in nearby Lophead by providing free decorating services to the business to help it recover from the effects of the pandemic. In support of this year’s theme #breakthebias for International Women’s Day, paint company Dulux has partnered with trailblazing women to celebrate those who have made a huge difference in the paint and stain industry. decoration.
Dulux aims to inspire and pave the way for more women to join the craft. Rachel’s efforts at Lophead earned her a Dulux Select Decorators Award last year in the category of Adding Color to People’s Lives.
Vickie Mather, Head of Dulux Academy at AkzoNobel, said, “For many women there remains a big barrier to entering the painting and decorating industry due to gender perception and bias. There is also a general lack of positive representation of women workers, which means that many women feel that the trade is not open to them.
“At Dulux, we are leading the charge for inclusion in all areas of our business and in the broader paint and decor industry. We are committed to positively showcasing the bright women who work in our industry to further standardize painting and decorating as a career option, break the stigma and inspire the next generation of tradeswomen.”
Dulux hopes its campaign will help change the fact that only one in five painters and decorators are women.
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Source: www.somersetlive.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-03-28 23:00:00
