Despite the high number of men in certain professions, some courageous and determined women do not hesitate to venture into any male-dominated field. One of such women is Ms. Yvonne Heidi Attigah, a selfless young model who has recently ventured into carpentry.
She shared the inspiring story of how she decided to beat the odds to showcase her creativity and talent in carpentry work with me over the weekend.
She is a product of Wesley Grammar Senior High School and also holds a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Business Administration from Africa University College of Communication (AUCC) in Accra.
According to her, she became more enthused with the idea of carpentry in 2020, when most activities came to a standstill as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It was not something I thought I could do easily, though I admired the works of carpenters from a distance,” she said.
Prior to venturing into carpentry, Ms. Heidi was a model who had been featured in some photography works, but had to switch to nurturing her passion in woodwork as the modeling profession was not that lucrative.
After thoroughly weighing her options and speaking to her family about her passion for carpentry, she ventured into it and named her craft “Heidi Woods.”
Explaining how she first attempted carpentry, she said she was home during the pandemic lockdown period and decided to visit a male friend of hers who was into carpentry and offered to lend him a helping hand.
Per the agreement at the time, she said her friend was to pay for her assistance, but along the way she developed an interest and passion for the work, because “I loved what I was doing, I took it seriously, and I learned the craft well, which has brought me here today, putting things together piece by piece,” she noted.
Asked whether she had ever felt intimidated as a female carpenter, considering how the field was dominated by men, she explained that she always felt challenged to do more and therefore does not allow challenges to prevent her from giving off her best. “I always have it at the back of my mind that I will do extremely well in this field because I find carpentry so easy each passing day, and I have the belief that every young woman can achieve anything in this life if they put their minds to it.”
According to Ms. Heidi, she has not faced any discrimination against her as a young female carpenter; however, some people rather gave her contracts out of curiosity to know if she was truly up to the task, adding that she eventually surprises them and gains more trust than some of her male counterparts.
BUSINESS RIVALRY
As expected of people in the same business, Ms. Heidi said she thought she would feel massive competition among male carpenters, but the male carpenters she shared the same jurisdiction with proved otherwise by readily supporting her with advice and giving her contacts for suppliers of materials she would need for her work. This, she said, made her feel free and comfortable enough to always go to them for advice and support when the need arose.
“They have never treated me like a competition, and I really appreciate them for this. Men supporting women—I can say I amaze them all, and they have been a source of inspiration to me,” she added.
SUPPORT FROM FAMILY
According to the product of AUCC, her parents have been very supportive, especially her mother.
“My parents, especially my mother, never questioned my choice of a career when I told her I wanted to put modeling on hold and focus on carpentry. She urged me on and assured me of her support, and that really inspired me to go ahead with my job as a carpenter.”
“Her continuous encouragement makes me work harder each day to make her proud,” she added.
Some of her friends, she said, tried to talk her out of the idea of venturing into full-time carpentry after she disclosed her intentions to them.
She mentioned that her schoolmates kept giving her countless reasons why a woman, or a model, for that matter, could not be a carpenter.
The 35-year-old bemoaned that some members of her extended family also made fun of her, calling her all sorts of names because she decided to become a carpenter.
However, the mockery, she said, never discouraged her but rather pushed her to prove them wrong.
CHALLENGES
Her challenges so far, she said, have been getting a focused apprentice who was ready to stay committed to learning the trade, saying the youth of today were only interested in making money quickly but were not ready to go through the process.
Another problem she pointed out was the fact that she had difficulty lifting heavy objects as a result of a spinal cord injury she sustained in the past.
She, however, encouraged the youth to have the spirit of volunteerism and be patient enough to learn and work hard to achieve their dreams because “nothing good comes easy.”
ADVICE TO WOMEN AND YOUNG GIRLS
Ms. Heidi urged all young women to be optimistic about their career choices and not be afraid to try new things, especially venturing into male-dominated professions.
She also advised them to be resilient and selfless while chasing their dreams.
“Once you find your passion, go for it and make a positive impact. Nothing should stop you.”
The carpenter also cautioned parents and guardians against discouraging their daughters from choosing courses that could land them in professions dominated by men, adding that when it comes to making ends meet, gender must not be an obstacle.
She said the focus should be on being successful.
THE NEED FOR WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
Empowering the girl child should be the responsibility of every member of the public, especially friends and close relatives.
Therefore, if women or young girls have to fight barriers that prevent them from reaching their full potential, it should not be from their loved ones.
Relatives and friends should stop making mockery of young girls who choose to venture into professions like carpentry, architecture, engineering, painting, and commercial driving, among others.
Men should also develop a passion for promoting gender equity by pushing for the rights of young girls to be protected.
The focus of men should not only be on their daughters; they should develop the passion to be vocal about issues affecting women so that together we can have a future where women and young girls will not be afraid of making certain career choices due to discrimination they could face from members of the public.
With the support Ms. Heidi had from her parents and male carpenters, she has now become an expert in manufacturing modern wooden partitions, various kinds of cabinets, dining tables and chairs, live edge floor mirrors, counter stools, exotic bed frames, and shoe racks.
Let us all join forces to help women break all the barriers that hinder their progress!
Thumbs up to Ms. Yvonne Heidu Attigah for joining the team of women who are fearlessly making a living out of their profession and climbing the ladder to the top, disregarding all the mockery to make her fellow women proud.
