New Stats re: Chicks and Tools

Lowe's fifth annual national survey of female home owners (and women considering home ownership) reveals some juicy tidbits about stereotypes:

• 41% of respondents would rather do yardwork and gardening than sew or perform clothing repair (14%)
• 91% of female do-it-yourselfers are responsible for the majority of home improvement decisions in their household (this is suspicious, since 91% of men say the same thing)
• 82% of women surveyed handle basic repairs inside the home
• 77% are likely to visit their home improvement store for ideas and trends
• Only 41% look to newspapers and magazines for home renovation ideas - so much for my gripping newspaper column!
• 72% feel prepared to be solely responsible for maintenance, repairs and improvement
• 73% of female DIYers are more likely to take on a home improvement project if they know it can be started and completed within the span of one weekend (this is why we have high expectations of men when THEY take on a project)
• More women own power tools today (78%) than ever before
• 24% have a beefy assortment of power tools and hand tools
• 21% own hand tools and some small-ish power tools, plus one or two major power tools, like a table saw or an air compressor
• 33% own a few basic hand tools and a few small power tools
• Even adept women DIYers agree that certain areas of the home require a professional's participation - 40% would hire a contractor to work on their kitchen, and 32% would use a contractor for a bathroom remodel.