RIBA has commissioned the Fawcett Society to study the scale and complexity of gender inequity across the UK architectural profession and find out why more progress is not being made.
The report is expected to be published in 2025.
As of September 2023, only 31% of architects were women and there is a gender pay gap of 16%.
This new study will conduct research into the experiences of women who are either practicing architects or have left the profession, before setting out key recommendations for change.
RIBA chief executive Valerie Vaughan-Dick said: “You don’t have to tell most architects that the profession has a problem with gender equity – they already know, not least because many feel the impact of this bias every single day.
“Following decades of research, the pace of change remains far too slow compared to other professions, and significant action is still needed. Understanding the barriers to making more rapid progress is critical.
“I am therefore delighted to announce our partnership with the Fawcett Society, who will use their vast experience and expertise to conduct vital research into gender equity in architecture, creating an editorially independent report. This study is part of our ongoing work to create a more diverse and inclusive profession that is representative of the society it serves.”
The Fawcett Society, named after suffragist Millicent Fawcett, is chaired by Baroness Harriet Harman, a barrister and former Labour cabinet minister.
Its chief executive, Jemima Olchawski, said: “With less than a third of architects being women, and despite multiple studies that have sought to understand the problem, now is the time for action. We are delighted that RIBA has recognised our expertise in this area and asked Fawcett to lead this study.
“Our research will shine a spotlight on tangible evidence-based actions that the profession urgently needs to take to reach gender equity, as well as deliver a realistic roadmap of how it can get there. We look forward to speaking to women in the profession to hear their priorities for change.”
Chief executive and registrar of the Architects Registration Board (ARB) Hugh Simpson said:
“RIBA is launching an important research project that will help to shape the future of the profession. We know that change is happening slowly: in 2023, 47% of new registrants joining the architects’ profession were female.
“But we often hear from architects that there are structural barriers that thwart women’s progress to leadership roles. It’s important to understand the nature of those barriers and how we can all – the regulator, the membership institute and the profession itself – work together to eliminate them in the public interest.”
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