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09 December 2025
9th December 2025 – Gen Z women aged 18–27 are far more confident in their DIY skills than their male peers - a complete reversal of older generations - according to new research.
Nearly half of Gen Z women (46%) say they’re confident in painting and decorating, compared with just 28% of men. A third (33%) would happily put up shelves, while only 21% of young men say the same. Even tasks like bleeding a radiator (16% women vs 11% men) or hanging wallpaper (29% women vs 22% men) see women leading the way.
Flat-pack furniture also presents less of a problem for Gen Z women - 26% are confident tackling it, compared with 19% of men. And when it comes to motoring know-how, Gen Z women are matching men: 17% of both genders can top up coolant, and confidence in topping up oil is nearly identical (20% women vs 22% men).
Meanwhile, Gen Z men seem to be losing their grip on basic household tasks — only 31% feel confident changing a light bulb, compared with a whopping 94% of male Baby Boomers.
The generational divide is very clear. Among Boomers, men were found to be more confident in every DIY category: 72% feel confident putting up shelves (vs 36% of women), and 67% know how to install curtain poles (vs 25%). The same trend holds for Gen X, where men still outpace women when it comes to tasks such as in wiring plugs (66% men vs 37% women), plumbing (36% men vs 10% women), and appliance repair (26% men vs 7% women).
The shift is being driven by changing attitudes and greater encouragement for young women to get hands-on with DIY.
Almost nine in ten Gen Z women (86%) say they were encouraged to try practical tasks growing up – far higher than previous generations. By comparison, just 73% of millennial women, 56% of Gen X, 51% of Baby Boomers and only 35% of women from the ‘silent generation’ (now aged 80 and over) say the same.
Girls are also learning DIY skills earlier than boys. On average, Gen Z women were first taught about DIY at age 12 — a year younger than their male counterparts.
Just 1% of Gen Z women say they’ve never learned any DIY or manual skills, compared with 8% of millennial women and 9% of Gen X women, highlighting a clear shift in just one generation.
Most Gen Z women say they learned their DIY skills at home, with 58% crediting their parents - compared with just 39% of young men. But they’re also turning to the internet for inspiration: six in ten (60%) say they’ve learned through YouTube, four in ten via TikTok (40%) and more than a quarter (26%) from Instagram. Many also point to influencers and TV personalities such as Stacey Solomon and Richard Hammond as sparking their interest in getting hands-on.
However, the research suggests this surge in practical know-how may be coming at the expense of other household skills. Just 66% of Gen Z women feel confident cooking — compared with 90% of Gen X and 95% of Boomer women. It’s a similar picture for laundry, with 66% confident compared to 94% of Gen X and 97% of Boomers.
Commenting on the findings, Jessica Frame, Managing Director of Retail at Halfords said:
"This research shows a clear generational shift - for the first time, young women are more confident than men when it comes to DIY around the home, a very different picture than we see with older generations. This shows that we're shedding outdated stereotypes so that gender isn't a factor when it comes to these important life skills.
“Of course, we're all only as good as our tools and getting the right kit for the job is just as important as knowing how to do it. At Halfords, we have trained colleagues who can provide advice and guidance for anyone looking to get started and stock a range of workshop tools suitable for beginners all the way through to seasoned pros.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
For further information please contact Halfords@goodrelations.co.uk or 0207 932 3693
About Halfords
Halfords is the UK's leading provider of motoring and cycling products and services. Customers shop at 404 Halfords stores, 3 Performance Cycling stores (trading as Tredz and Giant), 604 garages (trading as Halfords Autocentres, McConechy's and National) and have access to more than 200 mobile service vans. Customers can also shop at halfords.com and tredz.co.uk for pick up at their local store or direct home delivery, as well as booking garage services online at halfords.com.
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