THERE'S an old joke about the man who was so mad about DIY he bought his wife a Black & Decker for Christmas.

Women have finally decided if you want something doing, Do It Yourself.

Women used to be closely involved in it for long enough - standing by with a permanently-boiling kettle handing out endless cups of tea to the sweaty workers.

Handy Andy is giving way to Handy Annie, according to a survey by a company wanting to know what sort of packaging attracted women to DIY goods.

Modern girls are no longer awe-struck by the male-inspired mystique of home handiwork.

The boom in television home improvement programmes, fronted by such as Carol Smillie or Carol Vorderman has shown them that, really, there's nothing to it.

And sexual equality in modern education means there are no male-female barriers when it comes to learning life skills. Boys used to do metalwork and woodwork - girls got cookery and needlecraft.

Not any more.

Another survey just published, this time on social trends, shows modern woman is more at home with an electric screwdriver than with a knitting needle - while more and more men are listing needlework, dressmaking and knitting as a hobby, along with reading and gardening.

And why not? There is no reason why a person who shows aptitude for a particular activity should not pursue it - regardless of gender.

All power to their drills if women want to put up shelves, build fireplaces or convert a loft.

Sadly, though, it means that DIY Dad has lost his final refuge, his escape to his beloved workshop in the garden shed.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.