“A woman's place is not just in the kitchen” — Interview with Nazokat Shukurova, who has been repairing cars for 17 years (video)

“A woman’s place is not just in the kitchen” — Conversation with Nazokat Shukurova, who has been repairing cars for 17 years (video)

In society, views that a woman's role should be limited only to housework are still encountered. However, there are also women who have been changing these stereotypes through their hard work and activities. One of them is Nazokat Shukurova, who has been working in the automotive field for 17 years.

She is engaged in repairing, servicing, and polishing cars. In an interview with Daryo Lifestyle, Nazokat Shukurova spoke about how her interest in cars began, the difficult trials in her life, the challenges she faced in her profession, and her plans to open an auto service center for women.

An interest that began in the garage

Nazokat Shukurova’s interest in cars started in her childhood. Her father’s love for cars and the lifestyle connected to repair shops played an important role in sparking her interest in this field.

“On Saturdays, the only places we went to were repair shops and racing zones in Parkent. When I was 16 years old, during my student days, my dad gave me a Matiz as a gift,” she says.

Nazokat Shukurova graduated from the Tashkent University of Information Technologies. However, despite being a specialist with higher education, the automotive field seemed more interesting to her. Even during her marriage, she had plans to continue working in this direction and to establish a specialized auto service center for women.

A new life after difficult trials

One of the most difficult periods in Nazokat Shukurova’s life coincided with the time she lost her spouse. She was eight months pregnant at that time. Although this loss fundamentally changed her life, the responsibility before her and the trust her husband had placed in her encouraged her to continue her activities.

After that, with a baby just 20 days old in her arms, she started working in a window tinting service.

“At that time, I came to work every day and made a living with the money I earned from tinting. But I never fell into despair,” she recalls.

Today, Nazokat Shukurova is a mother of three children. Her eldest child is a university student. Her second child, Mushtariybabon, is a two-time Uzbekistan and world champion in karate, and the winner of 76 gold medals. Her youngest child is also one of the most important people in her life.

Restored cars left neglected for 15 years

One of the notable projects in Nazokat Shukurova’s career was the restoration of 19 cars acquired through an auction. According to her, the cars had been neglected for 15 years, their windows were broken, and their interiors were filled with mud and soil. Among them were BMW X5 and X6 models.

She also emphasizes the importance of multi-stage processing when polishing cars.

“Many people are happy that the scratches disappear after just the first stage. But when looking under sunlight, holograms, that is, spots, become visible. Therefore, to return the car to factory condition, it must also go through the second and third stages,” she says.

Nazokat Shukurova says that because of her profession, specific changes have also occurred in her daily life. Since her hands constantly work with motor oils and various chemicals, the possibility of getting a manicure or wearing jewelry is limited.

Problems faced by female drivers

During the conversation, Nazokat Shukurova also talked about the problems female drivers face in auto repair shops. In her opinion, some mechanics take advantage of the perception that women do not know the structure of a car well, unreasonably inflating the prices of spare parts and repair services.

“They explain things differently to a man and approach women in a different way. There are even cases where they quote inflated prices even for simple parts. To prevent such injustices, I try to provide objective help to our women as much as possible,” she says.

According to her, in some cases, she repairs the cars of female drivers with limited financial means for free or on the condition of payment later.

Plans to open a special auto service center for women

Among the apprentices working with Nazokat Shukurova, there are representatives of various fields. Some of them plan to become diplomats in the future, while others plan to work in the field of linguistics. Girls who previously operated construction cranes are also working in her team.

Currently, Nazokat Shukurova is working on establishing an auto service and car wash complex in Tashkent designed for women, equipped with comfortable conditions. According to the plan, the complex will have the capacity to service four cars at the same time.

Through her activities, Nazokat Shukurova has been demonstrating that women can also work successfully in complex fields such as automotive engineering and technical service.

“Rather than walking around frowning at people, I chose to be happy and positive every day. Sharing a warm smile with people on the streets even after passing through any difficult trial of life is my greatest victory,” she says.