While males still dominate the Do-it-Yourself (DIY) segment of the automotive aftermarket, female DIY vehicle maintainers now make up one-third of all DIYers in U.S. households, according to a market research study released by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA).

"The Aftermarket Consumer: Do-it-Yourself or Do-it-for-Me" study reveals that from 1994 to 2000, the percentage of total U.S. households performing light, medium or heavy-duty maintenance has not changed, but the percentage of DIY households with female DIYers has increased from 27 percent to 34 percent of the total. Males still comprise about 66 percent of the DIY segment.

The typical female 2000 DIY is married and about 45.5 years old. She is 5.2 years older than the typical female DIYer in 1994. She has completed two to three years of college and is employed full-time. Her $52,100 household income is a 26 percent increase over her 1994 household income. In addition, she probably has two vehicles and usually works on them less often than once every two to three months, primarily to save money.

(Source: Automotive Aftermarket Association)