Stanislava
Timotijevic

1
I realised that’s how it is and that it will be very hard to change in Serbia. Because maybe when I was younger I believed more that things would change over time, that it would be different, that people would believe that I was actually doing something here, but that belief that it’s not for women, that it’s not women’s work, is too obviously deep-rooted in Serbia and it lasts, so, probably I won’t be the one to change it, but honestly it really doesn’t even interest me anymore. I find a way to do what I like and that is more than enough for me.

2
Of course, it was time that made the difference and made me feel much more confident.
I am not sure that even in the next generation in Serbia the attitude toward women will change significantly.
I cannot say that women are not partly to blame either, but again it’s a systemic problem that I obviously will not manage to solve.
But there it is, since I’m the mother of one girl and another on the way, I just want them to understand that they can do whatever they want.

3
I want them to know that they can repair cars and put on makeup and whatever else they want, but that they also learn some minimum skills that will be useful to them throughout life.
I mean, as I say, that they know how to fix something, even if they never have to fix it, but that they know they can do it themselves, that they don’t depend on anyone, and if it gets dirty in the garage, they don’t have to get dirty at all.
Definitely, I think it’s very important for a woman to be independent and capable.

4
Definitely, there should be support among women; of course I’m for that.
However, simply in a male occupation like this one and in the male world in which I mostly operate, it is very difficult for other women to give support to women.
Actually, men need to become more aware that women can be part of that world too.
Moreover, of course women could give support in the sense of being clients and so on.
I would simply love to have the opportunity at some point to help some women who perhaps want to be mechanics or anything else that interests them from the world of men.

5
I think it was some kind of quiet struggle through the years.
Nothing extreme, nothing that was, I would say, necessary.
I simply fought in my own way to do what I really like.
I think that, according to most mechanics in Serbia, when it comes to the service and the workshop itself, a woman’s place is on the calendar on the wall.
So here in the garage, since of course the majority of the team is male, I face pressure to hang some calendar with women on the wall.
However, I said there is no problem if we also hang some naked men, but they do not agree to that, so for now we do not have any naked people on the walls.

6
Because I really, besides the fact that I like to get dirty and finish some job, also like to be clean and to have my hair done and to have painted nails and for the garage to be clean.
So that conflict additionally confuses people and simply triggers some extra disbelief, because it is expected that a woman who repairs cars will probably also be a bit fuller, not very cultured and not exactly with a very feminine appearance, but there it is, I’m not judging myself, people comment like that, saying I kind of look too feminine for a woman who repairs cars.

7
That is something I wanted, to provide some support to women, as much as my possibilities allow, and maybe it will help them somehow in life.
And simply, I would also like that women who perhaps watch me on social media see that it can be done.
If you want to, you can do it too.
It doesn’t matter that a certain number of people will mock it or give bad comments.
Who cares? If you really like it, try it, do it and simply create your own story.

8
So it’s not all that black and I believe it will simply become popularised in Serbia, women in some male occupations. I already see, colleagues who drive trucks, drive excavators and so on, which I find phenomenal, because it’s nothing, neither physically difficult nor complicated. Around the world, the situation is certainly better, so one day here with us, the situation will have to be better, and we women will also be able to choose absolutely what we want to do.