Seven years after declaring: "I am not a female architect. I am an architect", Dorte Mandrup writes that gender-based lists remain a symptom of an industry that is changing too slowly.
Seven years ago, I wrote an opinion piece published under the headline: I am not a female architect. I am an architect. Written as a critical response to Dezeen's 50 inspirational female architects and designers to mark International Women's Day – a list on which I was included – I posed the question of whether we were not long overdue retiring these well-meaning lists and awards for women.
By some, it was considered controversial – even anti-feminist. To this day, it still baffles me that it can be deemed controversial to suggest that women should be allowed to work and compete within the same parameters as their male peers. To ask to simply be considered an architect and not constantly categorised by my gender.
We have long proven that architectural merit cannot be confined by gender
Let me make it very clear, the article did not attempt to shrug off the importance of highlighting the significant impact of women in architecture. Quite the contrary. The contributions made by women across the globe are as immense as they are diverse.
We have long proven that architectural merit cannot be confined by gender. Despite this, women remain an anomaly in the architectural curriculum. In the recently published 100 Women: Architects in Practice book, which showcases a sample of work and practices of women from all over the world, authors Harriet Harriss, Naomi House, Monika Parrinder and Tom Ravenscroft describe their book as a "product of an unequal profession" that is regrettably still relevant.
Equally, my criticism is not on the recognition itself, but that the persistent need for distinction is a symptom of inequality and prejudice. It should be common practice to include women in the general architectural discourse.
The question is whether we have progressed far enough to leave special mentions and categories in the past. Despite their honourable intentions, the Brit Awards managed to leave out women entirely when they removed their gender-specific best artist categories.
The tide is turning very slowly
Though architecture has seen some progress in recent years, the tide is turning very slowly, and it is disheartening, to say the least, that we still need to spend time discussing the evident gender disparity in our industry when we should be much further in creating a diverse and equitable profession beyond gender.
As I wrote my article in the spring of 2017, thousands of people had already gathered for the Women's March in January to advocate for gender equality and civil rights. Societal frustration was looming, and in October #MeToo became a worldwide movement prompting women to speak out against harassment and discrimination.
While it sadly didn't come as a surprise for those of us who work in architecture, it provided an important platform to expose an abusive culture that has been allowed to exist within the profession for far too long. #MeToo pushed the needle.
We cannot simply wait for society to catch up and policy makers to act
It highlighted the deep-rooted power structures that sexism is a symptom of and that equally manifest itself in other discriminatory behaviour: opportunities that haven't been given, qualifications that haven't been recognised, being overlooked and even ignored, and facing lower expectations simply because of your gender.
Some of this is influenced by societal structures, but we cannot simply wait for society to catch up and policymakers to act. Companies, institutions, and industry leaders need to take action – and we can start by examining ourselves. We know from countless surveys that women are underrepresented and underpaid.
While women make up nearly fifty per cent of architecture graduates in places like the US, UK, and Denmark, this balance is not reflected in company structures. Many even leave the profession entirely.
What are the underlying factors that push them away or prevent them from succeeding? Have we created the necessary cultural changes within our institutions and studios to make sure that women have the same opportunities as their male peers? How do power relations influence gender equality?
A couple of years ago, our studio took it upon ourselves to examine the power structures in Danish architecture. Browsing through employees on websites, it already becomes clear that partner groups are generally dominated by men, but since it can be difficult to determine the internal structures by titles alone, we looked up the 40 largest architecture studios in the Danish Central Business Register to find out how ownership is distributed between genders.
In an owner-driven industry, power and leadership are undeniably tied together
Ten of the studios are owned by engineering firms and large international companies. Of the remaining 30, there is only one where a woman holds majority ownership. In an owner-driven industry, power and leadership are undeniably tied together, and the question of power is important because power gives you the privilege to hire, fire, promote, or even exclude – consciously or not.
However, it also provides an opportunity for owners and leaders to take concrete action. Examine your own business. Do you pay an equal salary? There is absolutely no reason for there to be a large or – even worse – widening gender pay gap. Start there.
Secondly, make an active choice to have women represented at all levels in your company. For those of us with practices in countries with almost fifty per cent female graduates in recent years, there should be no excuse. It is simply a matter of willingness. In my 25 years as a studio owner, there has never been a time when it was difficult to find qualified women to fill a position.
If you still find it difficult, expand your network. And for those claiming that women simply want something else; that they don't want the responsibility of being partner, or that they don't strive to start their own practices: I have never found this to be the case. But we need to create an industry where women are able to imagine that it is possible. If they cannot, then we have failed. So let us collectively speed up the pace of progress.
Dorte Mandrup is the founder and creative director of Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter in Copenhagen.Â
The photography is by Tuala Hjarnø.