Woman in Philadelphia Tired of Few Female Mechanics

You hear woman discuss the different industries that are male dominated. Some of these woman choose to address the inequality that they see. This was exactly the case with one local Philadelphia woman. She saw that there were few female auto mechanics in Philadelphia and decided to do something about it.

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The heroin of our story is Patrice Banks. She became aware of the problem while looking to get her car worked on. She went on the hunt for a female auto mechanic in Philly. She soon realized that there were very few. In fact, her search through Philly didn’t turn up a single female auto mechanic.

Patrice Banks saw that there were very few female auto mechanics in the Philadelphia area. But, she did not just talk about the issue. Where others simple saw inequality, she saw opportunity. She decided to become an auto mechanic.

This move wasn’t exactly easy for Patrice. She is 34 with a family of her own. But, she was determined to address the issue. She knew she was the woman for the job. She quit her day job and went back to school. She earned her certification as an auto mechanic.

She was no stranger to hard work. She spent the last dozen years working for DuPont. She was a manager for the materials department there. She was not a woman that many would expect to go into auto mechanics. She describes herself as knowing little about cars before becoming a mechanic.

She didn’t stop there. She also saw the opportunity to become a small business owner. She opened one of the very few Philadelphia auto mechanic shops that is female owned. A wonderful feat for a woman that says she hadn’t very little interest in cars before starting this journey.

She didn’t start by simply starting a female owned auto mechanics shop. She also is on a mission to help other woman. She started Girls Auto Clinic. Through this group, she offers workshops for women about how to do their own auto maintenance. She also consults with them on a variety of auto related issues, such as finding a quality used car.

There is no doubt that some inequalities do still exist. In a time when most people are content to simply gripe about them, Patrice Banks stands alone. She saw a problem and decided to address it. She was undaunted by learning a new trade and starting her own business. She even uses her new knowledge to help other Philadelphia women increase their car knowledge. So, let’s support this female owned auto mechanics business in Philly.