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@M_V
In my experience, the people doing the hiring of mechs - bike shop owners, management etc are largely male and of the generation where mechanicing is a ‘man’s job’.
I imagine that as time goes on and people who have a more gender neutral mindset move into these positions then we might see more female mechs being hired.
I do think though that cycling as a whole is lagging behind a bit in the gender equality stakes so this shift will maybe take longer than in some other industries.
Linked to that, I wonder if customer expectation is a barrier? Like, not a lot of the cyclists I come into contact with are the most forward thinking people. They are also predominantly male. If these troglodyte male cyclists walk into a shop and see a girl in the workshop, does that put them off having their bike serviced there?
Mechanics are not a very visible presence in cycling so i guess it’s hard to have positive role models (ie female mechs in team cars on the tour) pushing the change from that angle.
A fine line to be trodden too perhaps between “We have employed a female mechanic and are proud of this choice” and “We have oily girls in the workshop for you to ogle”.