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Matthew Vickery, Special for USA TODAY Published 7:00 a.m. ET July 24, 2017 | Updated 3:10 p.m. ET July 24, 2017

Shadi Mohammed works on a customers car in her garage staffed by women in the Iraqi city of Sulaimani. (Photo: Halwest Abdulkareem)

SULAIMANI, Iraq Sitting under shelves decked with dozens of brightly colored bottles of motor oil, Shadi Mohammed shouts to be heard over nearby machines.

"This is Shadi's garage!" she yells as she raises her oil-stained hands with enthusiasm, knowing she's an anomaly in this conservative, male-dominated country.

Mohammed is an extraordinarymechanic in an ordinary garage in this Kurdish city near the border with Iran: Everyoneworking under the hoods of flashy pickups and all-terrain vehicles are all women. They areearning a wage for their families and creating a mini-revolution in the process.

"I want to change the perception of society toward women and toward what they think women can do," explained Mohammed, 45. "Show them that woman are also capable of running a garage like this just like men do here."

The charismaticbusinesswoman and former civil servant never planned to don overalls and transform herself into a mechanic. But asan economic crisis hits the Kurdish region of northern Iraq, where public sectorwages have beenslashed up to 75%, she needed a new way to provide for her family.

With two daughters looking to their mother as a role model, Mohammed wanted to prove that Iraqi women could have whatever career they wanted. So she decided to take on one ofthe most male-dominated professions fixing cars.

When I realized this job had never been done by women before in Iraq, it encouraged me to go ahead with the idea of running an auto-repair garage, Mohammed told USA TODAYon a blisteringhot day. I wanted to show that women could take care of themselves, and help encourage women to gain experience in this trade.

She also wanted to create a garage where women would feel comfortable when they bring in their vehiclewithout facing ridicule or harassment from men.

Three months later, and $10,000 of savings spent, she saidher business is doing well, and she regrets nothing.

Mohammed admits she is a self-taught mechanic whosefour-woman team takes on more complex jobs every day. The current aim is to master automotive electronics in the coming months.

Just 11% of women in Iraq's Kurdistan region were employed last year, compared to nearly 19% in the Middle East,according to the World Bank.Only one in 100 of those women had jobs in the private sector, where men and women are more likely to interact something frowned upon in acountrywhere traditional gender roles are still prevalent.

Many of the women who buck this trend still end up leaving the workplace between the ages of 25 to 29 to fulfill family roles at home.

In choosing to be a mechanic, Mohammed battles sexism and ridicule daily at her garage.

During a recent visit by USA TODAY, one customer came in and lingered around Mohammed for an hour, offering gifts and later asking her to check his 4x4.

Theres nothing wrong with it, she said matter-of-factly after popping the hood and checking, as the vehicle owner leered behind her.

Suchbehavior is a daily occurrence male customersfake having vehicle problems so they can watch Mohammed and her female workers.

I would not face the harassment that I am facing now if I were a man," Mohammed said."I am familiar with my societys behavior. In some cases people just visit us because we have women working here.

Fatah Sleman, one of the female mechanics who works at the auto-repair garage, checks a vehicle's tires as a customer looks on.(Photo: Halwest Abdulkareem)

She said she had to hire women in secret after a public attempt to find women workers was met with ridicule.

Fatah Sleman, one of her employees, said she was grateful for the work Mohammed provided and the opportunity to prove that women shouldnt be confined to home or jobs traditionally held by women.

I dont want careers like this one to be occupied just by men, said Sleman, 37. I want to tell women, there is no difference between us and men, and that its our right to try different careers.

Despite facing ridicule and harassment, the women say theyre thankful for the customers who show respect and support their business.

One of those customers, Aros Ghafur, said he had never beforeseena garage owned and run by women but was pleased with the work they did.

I see a clear future of success in what Shadi is doing.I have really encouraged her to keep doing her job, said Ghafur, 31, a Sulaimani resident.

Success for Mohammed is not just increasing profits, but alsoinspiringother female employees.

And its working. Sparked by Mohammed's give-it-a-go attitude and confidence in taking on Iraqi society, her employees want to encourage other womento do the same.

Eyeing the future, Mohammed plans to hire more women and relocate her auto-repair business to a larger site, but she expects little helpalong the way.

Nobody has tried to stop me or close my garage, but neither has anyone or the government helped or assisted me with it, she said. Maybe they dont want to lessen gender discrimination here.

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