You have no idea": Women in Architecture in the Eighties
Gill MatthewsonArchitectural History Aotearoa
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Abstract
A number of moves in the seventies had meant that more women than ever before were in architecture schools and by the eighties they were flooding into the profession. Over the decade their numbers quadrupled (as measured by registration) as women moved from the exception to the norm. But their impact was variable. This paper will try to tease out that impact from women-only practices to support groups to what they published to moves away from the profession.
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Harriss, H. (2012) ’Women in Architecture.’ ‘Revolution, Reform, Relevance: Expanding Architecture: operating a social agenda.’ Architecture Sans Frontieres, Architecture Centre Network, London.
"A presentation-based paper that explores the current issues facing female architects and considers whether using legislation to ‘coerce’ to ‘positively discriminate,’ represents an after-thehorse- has-bolted approach to increasing diversity and instead considers progressive means, including the role of the school in enabling a fundamental system change in terms of diversity and representation in both practice & the profession."
Documentation and Archiving as a Means of Supporting Women Professionals in the Field of Architecture
This paper examines the recent status of Turkish women architects through the statistical data gathered from union of chamber of architects and schools of architecture. It also compares the figures of women architects in our country with selected countries from Europe as well as Canada, Australia and United States of America. Our study has demonstrated that despite of the fact that women are generally underrepresented in the all work force in Turkey, the condition of Turkish women architects display a considerably satisfactory level of representation in the profession, when compared with other countries. However, during the analysis it became also evident that the current statistical data in published and unpublished sources have various shortages and thus they are unable to provide a ground for more accurate evaluations. Based on this necessity, we would like to present our proposal for web based documentation and archiving of women architects in order to benefit from the fruitful milieu of the conference discussions. Our proposal for documentation is also reputable to other countries for further developments of this project. The fact that only a small percentage of the overall built environment is shaped by women architects clearly shows the existence of a gender-based crisis in the profession of architecture. Despite the growing number of female students in architectural education especially after the 1980s, male professionals are still shaping architectural practice. This dilemma has become a major area of interest for many scholars who have approached the problem from various viewpoints for the last twenty years. Even the proliferation in the number of books, articles and research reports on the issue of marginalization of women architects in the profession has not been able to change this situation yet (Graft, Greed, Manley, 2003). The patriarchal roots of the profession and its historical relations with craftsmanship are evidently one of the main reasons in the historically delayed entrance of women architects into the profession (Adams, Tancred 2000). The emphasis on the effect of the biological differences (Grosz E 2000) and/or socially constructed gender codes (Weismann 1994) is also another approach in current research, which focuses on the reasons for the marginalization of women architects. Some feminist theorists, on the other hand, have preferred to interpret the difference by acknowledging women's ways of knowing (Franck 2000). These viewpoints theorize the raison d'être of the secondary roles of women in the profession by criticizing the patriarchal hegemony in general. Despite the modest roles that women take in shaping the built environment, feminist criticism in the field of architecture has enabled recognition of the responsive approach of women architects for sustainability, diversity, and many other everyday matters, including innovative solutions for eliminating the dissatisfaction from standardized modern housing. Participation of women into the practice of architecture obviously can make a great contribution for equal representation in the workforce all over the world. Women are trying to resist against sexism in the economic arena for a long time. On the other hand, women' participation into architecture is not only vital for women architects, but also for many other people who are in demand of a better architectural service which would produce solutions for social problems such as poverty, homelessness, isolation, and extreme consumption of the sources all over the world. Typical male-centric view of architecture focused on the physical aspects and created a form-obsessed physical built environment. On the other hand, women architects do not take conventional star system embedded in the patriarchal roots of the profession into account. Instead, women architects generally prefer to contend with small commissions with a focus on family society issues such as housing and rehabilitation projects. Increasing the number of women in the discipline of architecture is one of the major concerns of national professional organizations in the new millennium. Action plans that were prepared after comprehensive researches include recommendations to educational institutions, professional organizations, employers and practices. The general points taken from a sample report is quoted below: Recommendations to educational institutions included these key points:
INVISIBLE CONTRIBUTIONS: The Problem of History and Women Architects
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All occupations, of course, should be gender-neutral. Much as we hate to say it, we are led to conclude that women often get a raw deal in their education in architecture school, and in their careers in architectural practice" said in article on "Women in Architecture". As a student of architecture, I surveyed, that 13 of my classmates are quite unknown about female architects except 'Zaha Hadid'. Neither, they had any keen interest of knowing about them. Even, while searching "great architects of world" we get few female architects in the list. As we all know architecture is a profession of passion, dedication and hard work so why in this race women are lagging behind. Personally, I am not denying the fact that in 21 st century females in this profession are behind men's they are giving a level of competition to them. Why a woman gets distracted from architecture? Why women in architecture are in teaching profession only? With these questions and intentions I would like to explore the struggle, hard work and dedication of women in architecture and design profession .I would like to know the percentage of women in architecture industry with comparison to men's , heights of achievement by women, time to time variation in involvement of women."
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Women architects in West and East Berlin 1949-1969: reconstructing the difference: a contribution to Berlin building history and knowledge about women architects’ conditions of professionalization
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The history of women in architecture in Germany began more than a century ago. Although the earlier history of the pioneering women architects is well documented for Berlin, their contribution to the city's postwar rebuilding has so far received little appreciation. This is the case even though Berlin is the only city where the two German states' different social contexts and building cultures co-existed, and were in explicit competition. Asking why so little is known about women architects working at this time in West and East Berlin, this thesis provides an initial comprehensive picture of women's contribution to the rebuilding of Berlin, made by working freelance in the West and holding responsible positions in the East. At the same time, furnishing a second original contribution, the thesis explores obstacles limiting their design activity on both sides of the border. It explains to what extent similarities and differences in the women's education, role models, and conditions of professionalization determined design opportunities open to women architects. The research framework is a situational analysis, considering the different social contexts as natural environment, the culture of the architectural profession as social environment, and women architects' limited participation as problem situation. Feminist and gender sensitive theory and methods reveal the interplay of obstacles to women architects' participation. Bourdieu's theory of a State Nobility reinforces understanding of which aspects of the culture of the profession sustained the gender divisions in postwar architectural practice. Eight interview-based cases explain the different strategies of these women to succeed in the respective context. The analysis of their work and representation shows: women architects in the West remained marginalised during these two decades, and despite explicit political support for women in engineering professions, their more integrated colleagues in the East also failed to surpass the glass ceiling. Assembling detailed information about and from these eight women, the cases support equality-oriented documentation of a marginalized group in historical research. Given women architects' limited advancement until today, this thesis forms part of a Feminist Intervention into architectural history that needs to be continued.
Women in Architecture
2007
The architecture profession has historically been male dominated. Today, approximately 50% of architecture students are women. However only 18% of licensed architects are women. AIA Miami Women in Architecture Committee works to support women architects at all stages in their profession through networking, mentorship, and educational sessions. RIDING THE WAVE Since 2009, a national conversation for women in architecture and design has been held biannually, the AIA Women's Leadership Summit. AIA Miami's Women in Architecture Committee began extending that conversation locally with the 2018 Summit "The Wave of Change." We will continue the conversation towards a more inclusive profession with "Riding the Wave" in October 2020. "Riding the Wave" provides a platform to celebrate and share the work of women leaders in Architecture, Engineering, and Construction, while providing inspiration for professional and personal growth. It is a conversation on the challenges facing women of diverse backgrounds today in advancing their careers and achieving equity and inclusion in the A/E/C professions.
Architectural Theory Review—Women, Practice, Architecture (17:2-3, 2012)
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A special issue edited by Naomi Stead, containing a keynote by Bridget Fowler and Fiona M. Wilson, and new articles by Mary Shepard Spaeth and Katarzyna Kosmala, Karen Burns, Gill Matthewson, Norma Isa Figueroa, Sarah Treadwell and Nicole Allan, Jan Smitheram, Julie Willis, Hilde Heynen, Igea Troiani, Valerie Caven, Elena Navarro-Astor and Marie Drop, Amanda Roan and Naomi Stead, Ruth Morrow and Patricia Belford, and Henry W. Pickford; with a review by Bronwyn Hanna.
"Women Architects have always been Here". Scientific meeting, Department of Architecture, University of Thessaly (UTH), 15/02/1923
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Reference site: https://www.routledge.com/The-Routledge-Companion-to-Women-in-Architecture/Sokolina/p/book/9780367232344. Book preview (57 pages available): https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Routledge_Companion_to_Women_in_Arch/qhssEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover, https://routledgehandbooks.com/doi/10.4324/9780429278891. Recognition: Top Ten Titles published by Routledge featured at 2022 CAA Annual Conference: Sokolina, Anna, ed. The Routledge Companion to Women in Architecture (2021) https://caa.confex.com/caa/2022/meetingapp.cgi/Session/10840; and The Nomination for the SAH 2023 Alice Davis Hitchcock Book Award Description: The Routledge Companion to Women in Architecture illuminates the names of pioneering women who over time continue to foster, shape, and build cultural, spiritual, and physical environments in diverse regions around the globe. It uncovers the remarkable evolution of women’s leadership, professional perspectives, craftsmanship, and scholarship in architecture from the preindustrial age to the present. The book is organized chronologically in five parts, outlining the stages of women’s expanding engagement, leadership, and contributions to architecture through the centuries. It contains twenty-nine chapters written by thirty-three recognized scholars committed to probing broader topographies across time and place and presenting portraits of practicing architects, leaders, teachers, writers, critics, and other kinds of professionals in the built environment. The intertwined research sets out debates, questions, and projects around women in architecture, stimulates broader studies and discussions in emerging areas, and becomes a catalyst for academic programs and future publications on the subject. The novelty of this volume is in presenting not only a collection of case studies but in broadening the discipline by advancing an incisive overview of the topic as a whole. It is an invaluable resource for architectural historians, academics, students, and professionals.
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