Meet Se’da, the Female Mechanic Challenging Stereotypes in Egypt
We encourage women to celebrate themselves, their strength and their capabilities in general. The thing is, we tend to link women’s empowerment to political factors, but there are many aspects in life where women can shine just as much as men, and politics has nothing to do with it; we’re all equal!
Today, we’re celebrating and saluting Se’da the mechanic, a woman who followed her own passion, broke the stereotypes regarding being a mechanic, and is now a role model to many women. Keep reading to learn more about Se’da the mechanic’s story.
There are some jobs that need “rough hands” as they say, referring to physical strength and other stereotypes linked to masculinity, especially in the Egyptian culture. However, women like Se’da are changing some of these stereotypes, proving themselves capable in many different fields traditionally exclusive to men like construction, mechanics, driving and more. But guess what, Se’da is actually a sociology and psychology graduate, but following her passion and breaking such ideology was more important to her.
According to Se’da, her love and passion for fixing cars and learning more about mechanics started during her childhood and she’s since grown into an expert in her field. In the beginning, her goal was to teach women how to deal with their cars and certainly how to fix them since many women confront issues with men taking advantage of them, making them pay more for instance. When she left her job in psychology to focus on her passion for mechanics, she upgraded her skills and got promoted at her new job in a company to repair cars She then started a Facebook page and a YouTube channel to teach women and provide consultations on car repairs after she opened her own workshop. Impressive, right?
In an interview with reporter Mennatullah Hamdy, translated by Nourhan Magdi, Se’da said, “Many men argue with me in arrogance to make a fool of me as if I do not understand what I am doing, just because I am a woman.” Some of her experiences also include men turning away from her workshop the moment they see a woman working as a mechanic.
To all women out there who feel that something is holding them back from following their own passion or hobby, this story will encourage you to do what you’ve always wanted to do. Neglect the stereotypes and start working on what you actually want and love. Shoutout to all the ladies, follow what you love and embrace it!
