BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS

BY HANNAH KENNEDY

Although what should have been an unlimited exploration of possibility, the playground games of my childhood were closely tied to adopting stereotypical gender roles. Despite often favouring playing with construction toys, growing up my observation of many of my classmate’s fathers being builders or architects reinforced my perception that some industries had greater barriers for women to enter. Increasing pressure on toy retailers to market their products with gender neutrality and encouragement for parents to purchase these non-discriminatory options are the first steps to reforming societal expectations about the careers that are considered suitable for women. The prospects for girls entering the construction industry, however, are still being diluted by the challenges of cultural bias within a male-dominated sector.

It is difficult to not be instilled with a sense of optimism when surrounded by an evenly mixed cohort in the studio, inducing an exciting perception of progression towards equal opportunities within the architectural education system. This idea of changing attitudes within academic admissions boards is reflected by the almost equal split of male and female architects, under the age of thirty, as stated by the ARB in their 2019 Annual Report (ARB, 2019). As a wider representation of the profession, however, a lack of diversity is highlighted by female architects only constituting 29% of the register (ARB, 2019), indicating a high volume departure from the industry, commencing at the average age for a woman to give birth, in the UK (ONS, 2021).

Although a more balanced gender ratio among newly qualified architects could be a sign of improving opportunities for young women, the correlation between the time of maternity leave and the decline of the number of women in practice is no coincidence and is highly suggestive of difficulties for some parents to sustain an architectural career. Although not all women may want or be able to bear children, it is imperative that greater support is provided to those that do, in order to not disadvantage those who have trained equally as hard as their male counterparts.

To truly achieve equality, however, this additional support for absence should be extended beyond just maternity leave, but also to paternity leave and absence for physical illnesses, breaks for mental health and caring for family members.

Condensing the period of architectural training so that the Part 3 Examination can be undertaken earlier is unlikely to be feasible, due to degree programmes already being high intensity to ensure that the necessary content is absorbed. Another option could be increasing financial support for approved leave, however, this could have an inflationary effect, putting further pressure on businesses in the current cost of living crisis, and would be unrealistic in an industry where profit margins can already be tight. Karen Fugle, in her Women in Architecture report, identified a common feeling of disappointment, with 46% of women interviewed being unsatisfied with the rate of their career development, and an additional 41% only being somewhat satisfied (Fugle, 2020). 82% of interviewees stated that they viewed their career progression as their responsibility, indicating willingness to take initiative, but 73% identified a lack of time being the primary barrier against training (Fugle, 2020). A key area highlighted was a depletion of confidence that women felt in their workplaces, due to their male colleagues often being favoured for managing projects (Fugle, 2020).

To improve opportunities for women and provide additional training to compensate for absence during pregnancy, the ARB and RIBA should be including the percentage of women who are project leaders in their annual report, to encourage firms to meet an equal target, highlighting firms who do so as successful case studies. Practices should also provide extra CPD sessions, within working hours, to support re-entering the workplace following extended leave, and offer flexible working hours, where the firm has the worker capacity to do so.

As a representative of the profession, the RIBA also must undergo workplace reforms to decrease their gender pay gap and set a precedent for member practices. Greater awareness and education of sexism existing within architecture is needed to combat institutionalised biases, exemplified by the increase in the median gender pay gap from 9.49%, in 2020, to 11.32% in 2021 (RIBA, 2021). Until this gap narrows towards equality, member architects and the government need to put greater pressure on the RIBA to evaluate the split of their workforce across their pay scale.

Education is arguably the most powerful driver of change. Due to the patriarchal dominance in Western architectural history, lecture content concerning design evolution often revolves around the theories of male figures, further painting an image of women having less of a voice within the profession. Although much of this information is essential to cover, there would be a great benefit to focussing on a wider view of developments, looking at Eastern architecture, as well as highlighting the contributions of women in relation to stylistic shifts, such as their influence in the arts.

Collectives such as FAME and Women in Architecture represent a progressive movement towards equal working environments for minorities. Architecture schools should establish groups for underrepresented demographics to share their anxieties and experiences, as well as invite female guest speakers to inspire and empower women to continue with their pathway of training towards becoming an architect. Ultimately, only when corporations set precedent for equal treatment shall gender stereotypes begin to dissolve, towards an endless realm of possibilities that will be celebrated in new pieces of architecture, which leave a permanent reminder of the power of collaboration of ideas and experiences amongst diverse teams.

References:

ARB, 2019. ARB Annual Report and Accounts, London: ARB.

Fugle, K., 2020. Women in Architecture: Self development and career advancement for mid-level professionals, s.l.: Sleeping Giant Consulting.

ONS, 2021. Births in England and Wales: summary tables. [Online]

Available at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/ peoplepopulationandcommunity/ birthsdeathsandmarriages/livebirths/datasets/ birthsummarytables

[Accessed 20 December 2022].

RIBA, 2021. RIBA publishes 2021 gender and ethnicity pay gap data. [Online]

Available at: https://www.architecture.com/ knowledge-and-resources/knowledge-landingpage/2021-gender-and-ethnicity-pay-gap-data

[Accessed 5 November 2022].