Online Platform for Female, Nonbinary Tradespeople Thriving

Women and nonbinary tradespeople who want to consult on their craft have a growing online platform to check out.

Matriarchy Build is becoming a significant platform for these tradespeople and those who seek their input, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. As home ownership for single women increases, more are turning to people that look like themselves for help on DIY projects and beyond.

Lacey Soslow and Gabriella Ainslie launched the company last May, shortly after Ainslie had the pipes burst in her home and struggled to find a female plumber, which would’ve made her more comfortable, to take a look.

Matriarchy Build offers one-on-one virtual consultations with female and nonbinary tradespeople. Consumers taking on projects on their own or who need advice can use the platform to talk to one of these tradespeople, perhaps even hire them.

Prices for the consultations are set by the tradespeople. Matriarchy Build makes money by taking 20 percent from each consultation.

The appetite on both sides of the consults appears strong. The company started with 25 professionals, but has more than tripled that number. There are another 300 applicants waiting to join the service.

General contractors and handypeople are the most represented professionals on the platform. Other professionals include designers, architects, carpenters, electricians, plumbers and more.

“There’s just this hunger for community and to be seen,” Soslow told the publication.

Consumers on the platform expressed how empowering it was to see female and nonbinary professionals owning their craft, especially in professions stereotypically thought to be dominated by men. A female plumber initially hesitant to join Matriarchy Build now shares opinions on quotes and walks customers through fixing leaks.

““You get to empower a single mother who can’t afford to hire someone to change her kitchen faucet, and she can do it,” Kelly Ireland said. “So many people in rural areas reach out to me and say, ‘I just want a woman to talk to.’”

— Holden Walter-Warner