Tehran -
"As men dominated many professions that were exclusive to women, such as cooking and sewing, I decided to pursue my passion, and despite my graduation in the law branch, the days led me to the car repair shop." This is how "Usta Kiana" narrates her journey to the world of car engines And challenge the difficulties of the profession.
After entering the car repair workshop in the Ajodaneh area, northeast of the capital, Tehran, on her yellow motorcycle, the young woman, Kiana Yar Ahmadi, tells her unique experience in entering the car repair profession that was the preserve of men in Iranian society, explaining that the breakdown of her friend Niloufer Farahmand's car was a turning point in their career. .
Kiana uses her motorcycle to travel to and from the workshop (Al-Jazeera)
"Usta Ali"
One day, the two friends went to the "Usta Ali" workshop to repair Nilufer's car. The love of cars prompted them to ask him to allow them to help him. Within a few hours, Nilufer obtained his approval to work in his workshop, before Kiana joined her the following month.
Niloufer describes to Al-Jazeera Net her feeling 5 years ago in breaking social norms and restrictions as "indescribable", as she approached for the first time achieving her ambition, which she considered impossible at the time, stressing that her family encouraged her and stood by her side, especially in the early days of her attempt to acquire the skills necessary for the profession. .
Nilufar recalls that, unlike "Usta Ali", who showered her with his fatherly tenderness, she faced fierce opposition in the early days from the other mechanics in that workshop, stressing that encouraging customers raised her self-confidence and made it easier for her to face the difficulties of the profession.
"Al-Usta Ali," the owner of the workshop, believes in "women's accuracy at work" as a feature that contributed to gaining the confidence of customers, especially women, and transformed his workshop into a safe place for the fairer sex.
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A post shared by Kiana Yar Ahmadi (@mechanicar9)
breaking the rules
As for Kiana, she was keen to break the rules of hard work from the first day of her work in the "Usta Ali" workshop, where she found in harnessing modern equipment a way to compensate for the physical energy and her slender hands, stressing that she does not see anything wrong with asking for help from her male colleagues, just as she and Nilufer do not They hesitate to help them when needed.
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A post shared by Kiana Yar Ahmadi (@mechanicar9)
Kiana explains to Al-Jazeera Net that she believes in the equality of men and women and their energies in building society, and that females can excel in professions that are defined as masculine, through hard work and perseverance, such as Iranian women achieving many scientific, social and political gains, as she put it.
The young woman, Kiana, denies that the desire to imitate men motivated her to enter into the profession of a mechanic, likening a person to running water that opens his way with his determination regardless of the obstacles that stand in front of him, stressing that she feels happy and satisfied with herself, and that she will choose this profession again if time returns to it. backwards.
Nilufer tells Al-Jazeera Net that her family encouraged her and stood by her in order to achieve her ambition (Al-Jazeera)
future aspirations
Kiana recounts that she and her friend Niloufar were among the first Iranian women to fix cars, which turned the workshop into a destination for many men and women from inside and outside the country, and that they are constantly receiving requests to hold training courses for girls.
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A post shared by Kiana Yar Ahmadi (@mechanicar9)
Indeed, the two girls launched educational courses on car repair and engine maintenance, which were widely accepted by Iranian women, which increased the number of women working in this profession in other cities and provinces during the past few years.
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A post shared by Kiana Yar Ahmadi (@mechanicar9)
And whether the two girls faced difficulties in their careers, Kiana says that the matter was not without difficulties, but she focuses on solutions instead of blaming herself or other parties, adding that she was surprised by the welcome of the Iranian street, especially the conservative group, while she thought that the last segment would not It accepts the presence of women in professions that require great muscular effort.
Kiana says she believes that females can excel in professions defined as male (Al-Jazeera)
The two girls aspire to open a car repair workshop that includes female and male technicians, believing that women and men complement each other, and that their constructive treatment will be in the interest of modern society, which denies the dominance of either sex at the expense of the other, as they put it.