Young girls are being discouraged from a career as an automotive technician according the industry’s perception of being a male-dominated environment, a ClickMechanic survey has found.

The research from the online marketplace for car repair found that 58% of over 2,000 adult respondents to the survey argue that the gender imbalance will have a negative influence on a young girl’s decision to pursue a career in an automotive workshop.

Looking at other factors; 50% felt that the stereotype of a mechanic will put young girls off, while 40% believed that the lack of role models has a significant influence.

Meanwhile, 34% blame a lack of exposure to the opportunity for a reluctance to get involved, after which 21% believe that a fear of the opinions of friends’ plays a noteworthy role.

The physical aspect of the role was also a factor, the survey found, with 21% also assuming that the labour involved in the work discourages young girls.

Andrew Jervis, co-Founder of ClickMechanic, said: “It is sad to see a number of industries, such as car repair, still being dominated by one gender.

“Whilst there has been some improvement over the years for mechanics, there is still an obvious imbalance which needs to change.

“There is no reason a woman cannot excel in this career and as such, young girls should not be negatively influenced if they show an interest.” 

Almost ten-times more respondents to the survey believed that gender imbalance would be a greater discouraging factor for potential female employees than a low wage.  

Location-wise, there was a discrepancy on the likelihood for negative perceptions to play a factor in a female’s decision to pursue a career as an automotive technician.

ClickMechanic found that Plymouth has the highest percentage arguing that the listed factors do have a negative effect on young girls, as 93% felt that at least one factor made a difference.

In contrast, Edinburgh has the lowest percentage, with 74% admitting that the circumstances have some kind of an impact.

Looking at London, the results are fairly reflective of the total average, however, there is a 6% increase in the physical labour involved, with 27%, as well as a 5% increase in the impact of school, with 19% blaming this factor.