To celebrate, we spoke to Leven Smash Repairs Spray Painter turned Operations Manager, @dacodaendacott, about her experience working in the smash repair industry as a woman as well as some of the digital influencers who’ve helped bridge the gender gap.
“In 2018, I went to the world’s largest automotive trade show in Las Vegas where I was introduced to a woman named Connie who started a community of like-minded women called @girlsbehindthegun.
Featuring content that celebrates women who share the same painting passions and work in the automotive industry, “Girls Behind the Gun” has over 60k followers on Instagram and is constantly growing. It’s so important to have this representation online as more and more kids are discovering career paths and hobbies via Instagram, Tik Tok and Facebook.
The late Shirley Chisholm once said, “Tremendous amounts of talent are being lost to our society just because that talent wears a skirt.”
Throughout my years at TAFE, I was the only girl in my class. Whilst I have noticed the lack of diversity in the automotive industry in the past, thanks to people like Connie and employers like Leven Smash Repairs, we are starting to see more and more women enter the trade in roles that used to be defined by men.”
Click below to watch Dacoda’s story!