February 21st, 2010

Mariam Darwish became the first woman to work in an auto maintenance repair shop in the United Arab Emirates. “I wanted to prove that women are active members of society,” said Darwish. “and [we] are capable of doing all kinds of jobs.”

Although many clients ask for her by name, some wonder why she is there. She just tells them, “If you have a problem with your car, you can complain about it, but nothing else.”

Darwish, who is 30 years old, hopes to one day own her own shop but says she will always want to work under the hood.