One of the boys

11:56am Monday 28th January 2008

GILL OLIVER meets three dynamic women busily building careers in traditionally male-dominated fields From the day we're born we're taught that girls play with dolls, and boys play with cars - so it's little wonder that when we reach adulthood, most of us stick to traditionally female careers such as nursing, teaching or secretarial work.

But is this still, as James Brown famously once sang, a man's world?

We saw the first female sworn in as a Beefeater at the Tower of London last year, a move that broke 500 years of tradition.

The current Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, is female and we have already had a female prime minister and head of MI5.

Similarly, in everyday life, the number of women plumbers, electricians, builders, engineers and bodyguards is slowly but surely rising.

But what is it like to be a female in a traditionally male dominated environment? We talked to three local women to find out just how it feels to be one of the boys The car mechanic You're more likely to find Rebecca Cooper lying underneath a car than sitting in one.

And, rather than pampering herself with a manicure, her hands and nails are usually covered in engine oil.

But Rebecca, 24, wouldn't have it any other way, as she absolutely loves her job as mechanic and supervisor at a Kwik Fit garage in her home town of Bicester.

"Sometimes I can't get the oil off my hands properly, but if you are in this job you have to be prepared to get dirty. That's the way I see it," she shrugged.

Many customers are surprised to find a woman fitting their tyres, batteries, brakes or exhaust.

"Older men come in and ask to speak to a mechanic. I suggest they talk to me and they repeat that they'd rather speak to a mechanic.

"When I tell them I'm the most qualified mechanic on site, they are pretty shocked.

"I also get some men who say You shouldn't be doing a job like that' but I reply Too late, sir, I already am'!"

Female customers, on the other hand, seem delighted, according to Rebecca.

"A lot of them feel more at ease talking to another female because they think a guy is just going to fob them off."

She says being the only woman among seven men has never been a problem.

"They're all great guys and I've known them for years, so we have a good laugh.

"They've got a girlie calendar up in the tearoom and the other day my area manager asked if it bothered me.

I told him That's okay, I can handle it'.".

The bus company boss Louisa Weeks spends her days surrounded by buses and coaches and manages a staff of more than 500, the majority of whom are men.

Starting as a graduate trainee in 1994, Louisa, 35, worked her way up to reach her present position as director and general manager of the Oxford Bus Company.

"On the senior management scheme, you spend 18 months having a go at everything, so I've been down there in my overalls helping out in engineering and I can drive a bus," she explained.

Although her role is mainly strategic and managerial, she still takes to the wheel of a coach now and then.

"Sometimes when we're really busy and we've put a few extra buses out, I do journeys, so I keep my hand in," she said.

Married to supermarket regional manager Matt, Louisa says she hasn't encountered any sexism in the workplace, something she attributes to the fact that most of the staff know she has plenty of experience.

"I have good working relationships with all my colleagues. They see me out and about a lot so I am just Louisa' above anything else," she added.

Just one in ten of Oxford Bus Company's drivers are female but Louisa, is keen to see this number rise.

"I'm always quick to point out that being female is absolutely no bar to getting on in this group and I'm held up as a example of that," she pointed out.

The rugby coach Emma Fisher is coach to the under-17s boys' team at Oxford Rugby and also played scrum half for the women's side until injury forced her out.

She fell in love with the sport while studying engineering at Liverpool university 14 years ago, where a friend persuaded her to join the women's rugby squad.

"It's the best team game because on the pitch everyone plays for everyone else and then off the pitch it is just a really good crack," she explained.

Twice a week Emma travels from her home in Bicester to train the lads at Oxford's ground near North Hinksey but has never had a problem with credibility.

"From the day I started coaching there has always been respect on both sides but I think it helps that I have played so I am not just standing there telling them to do stuff that I haven't done myself," she said.

When Emma's boys play against other teams, having a female coach can cause a little bit of confusion.

"We used to turn up for games and the opposition coach would be wandering around looking for a man to greet and I'd be standing in the background going Hi, coach, it's me, I'm over here,'" she laughed.

Even when she hangs up her rugby boots, Emma is still in a male-dominated field.

As an electrical engineer working in London, she is the only female in a team located on a construction site.

Her work colleagues are interested in her rugby activities and she believes it gives them some common ground.

"The first time you say anything they are a bit surprised but when you talk about the game and they can see you understand it at the same level that they do, they think it's brilliant," she explained.

they talk to me and they repeat that they'd rather speak to a mechanic.

"When I tell them I'm the most qualified mechanic on site, they are pretty shocked.

"I also get some men who say You shouldn't be doing a job like that' but I reply Too late, sir, I already am'!"

Female customers, on the other hand, seem delighted, according to Rebecca.

"A lot of them feel more at ease talking to another female because they think a guy is just going to fob them off."

She says being the only woman among seven men has never been a problem.

"They're all great guys and I've known them for years, so we have a good laugh."

The bus company boss Louisa Weeks, pictured above, spends her days surrounded by buses and coaches and manages a staff of more than 500, the majority of them men.

Starting as a graduate trainee in 1994, Louisa, 35, worked her way up to reach her present position as director and general manager of the Oxford Bus Company. She said: "On the senior management scheme, you spend 18 months having a go at everything, so I've been down there in my overalls helping out in engineering, and I can drive a bus."

Although her role is mainly strategic and managerial, she still takes to the wheel of a coach now and then.

"Sometimes, when we're really busy and we've put a few extra buses out, I do journeys, so I keep my hand in," she said.

Married to supermarket regional manager Matt, Louisa says she hasn't encountered any sexism in the workplace, something she attributes to the fact that most of the staff know she has plenty of experience.

"I have good working relationships with all my colleagues. They see me out a lot so I am just Louisa' above anything else," she added.

Just one in ten of Oxford Bus Company's drivers are female, but Louisa is keen to see this number rise.

She said: "I'm always quick to point out that being female is absolutely no bar to getting on in this group."

The rugby coach Emma Fisher, pictured below, is coach to the under-17s boys' team at Oxford Rugby Club and also played scrum half for the women's side until injury forced her to quit.

She fell in love with the sport while studying engineering at Liverpool university 14 years ago, where a friend persuaded her to join the women's rugby squad.

"It's the best team game because on the pitch everyone plays for everyone else, and then off the pitch it is just really good," she explained.

Twice a week Emma travels from her home in Bicester to train the lads at Oxford's ground near North Hinksey, but has never had a problem with credibility.

"From the day I started coaching there has always been respect on both sides, but I think it helps that I have played so I am not just standing there telling them to do stuff that I haven't done myself," she said.

When Emma's boys play against other teams, having a female coach can cause a little bit of confusion.

"We used to turn up for games and the opposition coach would be wandering around looking for a man to greet and I'd be standing in the background going Hi, coach, it's me, I'm over here!,'" she laughed.

Even when she hangs up her rugby boots, Emma is still in a male-dominated field. As an electrical engineer working in London, she is the only female in a team located on a construction site.

female fishmongers fillet too!

The fishmongery trade may be strongly associated with men, but the186 trained female fishmongers at Morrisons supermarkets are bucking the trend.

Every Morrisons' fishmonger is trained to prepare over 50 different species of fish.

Elaine Harrison, Morrisons Company Fish Trainer, said: "The dexterity of females has always made them good fishmongers. We are pleased to encourage such diversity in the workplace and know that this helps to ensure that our customers receive the best service possible."

National statistics show that traditionally' male jobs are being increasingly filled by women. Between 2001 and 2006 the UK experienced a surge in women filling jobs traditionally associated with men, including architects, construction managers, prison officers and vets.

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