Gender inequality within the architecture profession and the wider built environment has not occurred by accident. In this feature, Grace Choi shares how gender-biased culture in the built environment impacts women’s careers while offering direct actions that practices can take to improve their workplace culture.
Grace Choi is an architect with 25 years of professional experience. She leads a value-led, design-orientated practice in the North East focusing on the transformation of communities and homes. Alongside practice, Grace has been influential in her efforts to demystify issues of inclusion to the architectural community by founding the J.E.D.I. talks. She is a regular university reviewer, speaker, mentor, chair, and advisor to boards, panels, and initiatives.
Gender-bias in the workplace
As highlighted in Inclusion Emergency, “male gender-biased culture, whether conscious or unconscious, is often to blame, where systemic and ingrained behaviours and policies from years of unquestioned practice dominate”. There are many examples of this engrained bias which could be reviewed and changed within your practice.
Take a look some examples and if you feel they apply in your practice, consider how you could look to shift your practice culture to eliminate or reduce their impact.
1. Biased hiring practices
Men are more likely to be offered permanent open-ended contracts on a full-time basis compared to women. Consider your current contracts; is there an imbalance between genders and who has full-time contracts? Is this by request, and if so, is it related to caring duties that disproportionally affect women? Make sure that those offered part-time positions are assured job security and equal benefits compared to those on permanent contracts. Cultivate an understanding that part-time does not equal part-commitment or devalues input or opportunity. Support flexibility through collaboration.
2. Biased promotion practices
Young male architects are favoured for promotion and perceived as ‘individuals who would fit in more easily’ – this can then result in the overlooking and undervaluing of female architects with equal skills and evidence of good performance. Similarly to the above hiring practices, is this bias playing a part within your practice of who gets promoted or chosen for certain projects? Reflect on your own biases and think about how you could nurture promotion at the early stages of a career for talented individuals who may otherwise be overlooked.
3. Pay inequity
Pay gap discrepancies within architecture practices are still a major issue, with women being paid less than men for carrying out similar work. Using our Gender Pay Gap guidance, you can investigate any gaps and find ways to reduce and eliminate them from your practice.
Read our gender pay gap guidance.
4. Gender-based opportunities
Work trips and networking events (annual conferences, work nights out, etc.) may lean towards the exclusion of women who are more likely to be the primary caregiver with additional responsibilities outside of their jobs. It’s often during these events that bonding between colleagues occurs and work opportunities develop. When planning any of the above, consider how accessible they are for those with caregiving duties and look for ways to ensure everyone can participate.
5. Stereotyping and lowering expectations
Gender bias can lead to assumptions and lowered expectations of women and their potential. This can inadvertently lead to training or a key project not being offered to a female architect, therefore creating a larger skill gap, which would then reinforce the belief that women are less capable of the job. Examine your assessment process for who receives training and project opportunities and consider if there are any discrepancies in how these are awarded.
6. Lack of representation in leadership/senior roles
According to a 2022 survey by Dezeen, only one in five senior leaders in architectural practices are women. An imbalance of genders within positions of leadership can lead to an imbalance of decision-making, power, and influence. Scrutiny, skills, and insight from different perspectives are essential to inform well-considered decisions. Decision-making is influenced by our lived experience, and without considering a wider understanding of issues, inclusive practice culture, and relevant architectural design can be missed.
7. Competitive work culture
The trend of long work hours culture - encouraged by those who are able to spend more time in the office after expected working hours - greatly disadvantages those with family or caring commitments. This can lead to assumptions that these individuals are not as hardworking or committed to their employers. Consider your current working practices – is there an expectation to work outside of ‘normal’ hours? What policies have been developed to support flexible working, and is the practice culture accepting of these variations to work patterns?
8. Dismissive comments
Consider impact when making comments that were intended as a ‘joke’. Exclusionary and stereotypical comments or behaviours can have a long lasting impact not only on the individuals present, but the wider workplace culture.
View our toolkit on understanding and addressing microaggressions in the workplace.
Supporting colleagues with pregnancy and parenthood
The decreased representation of women in architecture is markedly more noticeable after having children. “Research carried out by the UK campaign group Pregnant Then Screwed revealed that a staggering 60% of professional women leave their organisation within a year of returning to the workplace after maternity leave.”
The maternity leave period can be a stressful and uncertain time for parents, especially for women who are concerned about their stability and value in their practice. Architecture as a profession is typically a long-lasting career, but if practices have short term commercial focus, it may not consider the support needed at this time, increasing the risk of female architects having to seek other employment arrangements. Coupled with statistically fewer chances of being promoted and increasing childcare costs, female architects are at an increased risk of being forced out of the profession.
As a practice leader, there are many small steps and considerations you can ask yourself when creating a more inclusive working environment for mother (and parents more broadly). The full list of questions can be found in Grace’s chapter of Inclusion Emergency.
Supporting colleagues with the stages of menopause
Being a parent and caregiver can impact career progression, and staying within the profession long term can be impacted by age-related barriers.
The menopause, in particular, is a topic that is slowly making its way into mainstream workplace wellness conversations – something that can be accelerated through a supportive workplace culture. Symptoms and timing will vary by individual, but a 2022 Fawcett Society survey concluded that 44% of employed women noted that their ability to work had been affected by their symptoms.
Currently, a third of the UK workforce is over the age of 50, and for women, the menopause tends to appear at “the most experienced stage of an architectural career when there may be many more years to contribute to the profession”.
By educating and supporting colleagues who may be experiencing these symptoms, your practice can continue to retain skilled workers and support their career progression, not regression. A more diverse workforce is proven to deliver better strategy and design, which reinforces the importance of creating an inclusive practice culture where everyone feels confident that their gender and personal responsibilities won’t negatively impact their career.
Read our guidance on supporting colleagues experiencing menopause.
About Inclusion Emergency
Curated within the book is a broad collection of stories and insights from thought leaders in architecture at all stages of their careers across the UK who share a vision of addressing the need for inclusion. Presented as a medley of formats and ways of expressing lived experience, this content has been made accessible to a wider audience. Whether it’s to find an understanding of the issues or tools to mitigate, build confidence and find support, each chapter includes additional resources to take your learning even further.
Inclusion Emergency is now available from RIBA Books.
Additional resources
Explore our further resources on supporting colleagues in the workplace, or view our other EDI (equity, diversity, and inclusion) guidance.
