Women in Architecture

When I joined my course, I heard a lot of “Architecture!? Do you really want to pursue a career in it?”, “Architects work very hard but they don't make as much money,” and “You'll eventually get married and have kids. Will you have time for this?” Why can architecture be considered the mother of all arts, but a mother cannot be considered for architecture? Moreover, professionals in equally demanding fields such as law and medicine, start families while still continuing to work. And although these professions may offer the incentive of higher pay, money alone cannot explain a woman’s ability or her desire to persevere. Why then, am I being discouraged?

 

Architecture is said to be one of the toughest professional programmes to crack. According to the National Architectural Accrediting Board in the United States, even though 50% of architecture school graduates are women, the AIA National Associates Committee Report states only 20% of licensed practitioners are women. The numbers are somewhat similar back home. According to the recent statistics compiled by the Council of Architecture in India in 2013, 44% of architecture school graduates are women. Out of these, 27% of female architects represent the profession. If architecture colleges are seeing a steady increase in female enrolment over the past few decades, why are so many women opting out halfway through the course?

 

‘Women in Architecture’ surveys have attributed women leaving the profession to reasons ranging from perceived inequalities in pay between men and women to fewer career-building opportunities and lack of mentors or female role models. One in five women worldwide maintain she would not encourage another woman to pursue a career in architecture. This could be because the general perception of female architects is that they are better suited to be Interior Designers; therefore people hesitate to approach them for Architectural solutions. Although architecture is a male-dominated industry, Ar. Farshid Moussavi believes that there is no reason to be discouraged. She affirms, "There is no point in me trying to be like the room full of men I have meetings with. My strength is actually in my difference.”

 

Starchitects like Le Corbusier, Mies Van der Rohe, Frank Llyod Wright and Louis Kahn often had equally inspired female peers, but their contributions were overlooked. These included Jane Drew, who was a promoter of Modernism in England and was responsible for bringing Le Corbusier’s work to India and Lilly Reich—a fashion and furniture designer who worked with Mies Van der Rohe. Many of his famous works, particularly in the area of furniture design, would not have been possible without her. Similarly, Marion Mahony Griffin was the first employee of Frank Lloyd Wright as well as presumably one of the first licensed female architects in the world. She exerted a considerable influence on the development of the Prairie style, while her watercolour renderings became synonymous with Wright’s work. Anne Tyng was another prominent architectural theorist of the twentieth century and was central to the designs of Louis Kahn—with whom she even had a daughter. The crux of the problem lies in the fact that their contributions were not acknowledged in comparison and their efforts not appreciated.

 

If the field of architecture needs new perspectives to fend off stagnation, the contribution of women must receive the recognition they deserve. As part of the system, we too need to engage, encourage and empower women in architecture to lead. When Barbie launched its new Career Barbie series with Architect Barbie in 2011, it aimed to inspire little girls to fearlessly etch a name for themselves. Ladies, dream the bigger dream! From Marion Griffin to Zaha Hadid (the first woman to receive the Pritzker Prize in 2004) women have repeatedly demonstrated that they have what it takes and more. The acknowledgement of this single possibility can change everything