The National Association of Realtors reports that single women purchase 21 percent of homes today, while national home improvement retailers estimate that roughly half of all their non-contractor customers are women. Suffice it to say, the interest of women willing to repair, rehab and renovate is on the rise and a new generation of "handywomen" has begun.

The roles of men and women, when it comes to the home, have been changing for some time especially with more dads staying at home and more moms working out of the home. Women are now the ones who are investing in the power tools while men may be busy with other things or just plain not interested in home improvement.

This should not come as a surprise what with 24 hr. home improvement shows targeted toward women and metro-sexual men. Women are more independent than ever before, possibly due to the divorce rate and women choosing to stay single longer; they would rather not have to pay someone what they can learn to do themselves.

As dads have become more "hands-on" with the kids, women have become more "hands-on" with the house. According to Ranken Technical College in St. Louis the enrollment has doubled for automotive, construction, and electrical classes for women. Elizabeth Keserauskis, director of Marketing at Ranken and one of this year’s top 40 under 40 professionals says, "this generation would never see being male or female as determining whether they can do something or not."

This area of home improvement is just one of the many paths women are taking in life where men have typically dominated. It’s not just about the differences in strength and braun anymore it’s about, "if you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself" and women are doing it themselves and getting it right!