1. A tool or piece of equipment should fit the user. Fit helps determine how well a tool works and how safe it is to use or operate.
2. Women’s bodies are significantly different from men’s; we’re not less than, but we are different. For example, women tend to have:
   • 40-75% less upper-body strength
   • 5-30% less lower-body strength
   • Smaller stature
   • More adipose tissue
   • Narrower shoulders
   • Wider hips
   • Proportionally shorter legs & arms
   • Smaller grips
3. Based on these differences, a tool that works well for a man generally won’t work as well for a woman. Yet virtually all available tools and equipment were designed for men.
4. This means that, while some tools work better for us than others, in general women have been using less-than-optimum tools and equipment for a long, long time. Sometimes that’s meant putting ourselves at increased risk of injury or disability. And though we’ve made do with what’s available, we can do even better with tools & equipment that fit us.
5. With the marked increase in women farmers and gardeners , and the huge role women play in food production worldwide, the need for appropriate tools and equipment is greater than ever.

Click here to view or download a PowerPoint presentation with more detailed information about the need for tools & equipment for women; the connections among tools, equipment, safety & health; and our SBIR grant.

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