Female Modelers?

This is an interesting topic because it not only applies to model RR but other areas. I've been in film production for 30 years and have worked with hundreds of cameramen but yet only 3 camerawomen, there aren't a lot of women in that field. But in editing it's about 50-50. How many of you guys when in high school took cooking class but yet most of the great chefs are mostly men. How many women do you know who are auto mechanics? There are so many other areas where you think men would be prominate and aren't and vise a versa. I've always wondered why this is so.

 

Generalizations follow:
The question probably comes down to "Nature vs Nurture". I think it is a bit of both. I expect we will find that over the past 50 years society has gone from trains are only for boys to in some families trains are for anyone. Certainly my sisters were not encouraged to have anything to do with the trains or anything technical. I was pushed at anything techical.

 

Does my wife model with me? No.
Does my daughter model with me? Yes.
Does her 7 year old daughter model with me? Yes, since she was 4 1/2 and I wouldn't change one thing that she placed on the layout.

 

Please have her call my wife and tell her these things are fun!! LOL. Sounds like a great lady...
John

 

Is that East St John?
Kevin

 

My wife has always been "supportive" of my hobby. She often operates the video camera while I take still pictures. I almost had her working on a DPM kit this weekend - she has agreed to make trees for me when I get to the point where I need them. Last month she told me that she wants an HO model of the biggest steam engine I can come up with - I showed her a Big Boy, and she said "Order it up!".
She says that once she gets her Big Boy, she'll build an HO module - I haven't ordered it up yet - wonder if I should...

 

I'm not sure if she'll be a model railroader but my daughter loves to go to shows and help me with my projects. My son on the other hand has lost interest. Maybe it is just the joy of being with her daddy but interesting questions are frequently asked by her. There is an ice cream shop next to the line I run on and I'll call my wife to have her and the kids meet me there. My daughter always seems to be the one that is most excited. I can't wait to sneak her along for a cab ride! She is 7 and also loves cheerleading and all the other "girly girl" stuff.

 

yup

Right on the Fessenden overpass over the rail cut... exactly.

 

I know of two who are in it for themselves and one who is a wife of another modeller but who is a gun at scencking.

 

Well my girlfriend is into "G" modelling like me. Happened about spring 2002, just for fun I got her an LGB Steam Locomotive figuring she'd laugh it off, well years ago we built ( a poorly designed ) garden railroad. Snow storms and bad spring weather ruined everything this year. so We're starting from scratch hoping to learn how to do it right.

but I digress. Ya she's into it, and stepped up to the plate to get her own Alco FA/FB Units and has fully kitbashed them nicely. Proud of how well she took to the hobby, because we really need them to get involved in every aspect of it.

to quote my girl, "This aint a gender specific hobby anymore." That being said from of all girls, a USMC Brat :shade:

 

I think you just described Rrrr - if we haven't done something you listed I am sure we will.

 

Lady Sunshine (Barb) is too cool and if you have not seen her pics, take a look at em...they are great!
John

 

Sorry! After I posted this I've been busy with personal problems so I haven't been able to get on here so much.

But Thanks for deleting Offensive comments I did not see them, Because this is not what I intended this topic to come about.

I'm 100% for equality and like Electrical I wish I seen more seen more of them in it, Very seldom do I run into a female electrician and I wondered why ( like in model railroading ), the one's that I've run into are more than capable to do it. What fascinated me about model railroading is the sheer amount of weight being moved at one moment and the distance that some of them can be.

After being with the club and seeing the amount of reactions by certain types of people it make me wonder why this would even be classified as a Gender divided hobby? Yes Barbie's and G. I. Joe's are divided but you put them together than you have a ( well I guess this would be classified as a man being sick )?? you get the picture. LOL I'm just surprised with all of the girls ( and Women for that fact ) that I've seen fascinated by Model Trains I haven't seen anymore of them into the hobby.
But than again maybe it's the stereotype retard ness that dentures them from pursuing the hobby.

 

I think the dearth of female modelers has been a little overstated. Perhaps it's just a model railroad phenomenon, or a hobby phenonemon. My local club, the N Scale Rail Runners, has a number of active female members.

In professional fields that use modeling--albeit on a different scale--I'd guess that fully 15% are female. I know that's not hobbyists until you get to areas like car restorations, but it's a significant percentage. That this professional interest doesn't get down to model railroading specifically doesn't surprise me.

 

15 percent seems about right, during the reconstruction of Chicago's Museum of Science And Industry layout, (which went HO) there were quite a few female builders on that, it was interesting to see how detailed they were compared to their male counterparts.

My g/f has even outdone me on some aspects, we built some custom metal bridges for a friend, she hand welded every beam, rivet, etc. So with all the fantastic work of our female counterparts (Disregard if you are female and reading this ^^; ) why is model railroading considered gender specific even in this day to some points?

I say time we move on, if they wanna get involved go for it hehe