Why do women leave architecture?

Research into the retention of women in architectural practice. The expert group provided advisory input on the formulation of recommendations. The members were selected for the expertise in the following areas: -the business case for the inclusion of women, flexible working practices and general equal opportunities issues. The group was cross-disciplinary to facilitate the exchange of effective practice across the professions.

Key Findings: Why do women leave architecture?

UWE found that there was no definitive answer to the central question. A number of identifiable problems did however come to light. The reasons why women left tended to be a combination of a number of factors and or a ‘final straw’ moment. Some of the key issues are as follows:

- Low pay
- Unequal pay
- Long working hours
- Inflexible/unfamily friendly working hours
- Sidelining
- Limited areas of work
- Glass ceiling
- Stressful working conditions
- Protective paternalism preventing development of experience
- Macho culture
- Sexism
- Redundancy and or dismissal
- High litigation risk and high insurance costs
- More job satisfaction elsewhere

There was little evidence that women left because they were incompetent designers or that they no longer wanted to be architects. One major concern is the extent to which some architectural practices are operating outside current legislation in relation to employment practice.

Recommendations
UWE made quite lengthy recommendations identifying what actions could be taken and by whom. These ranged from actions that individuals and practices can undertake to those which the Professional bodies can instigate.

Source : RIBA

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