![]() ![]() I should have been learning how to put a real building together. This is completely unnecessary in the actual practice of architecture. ![]() What was I doing during those all-nighters as a student? Gluing balsa wood sticks and plexi together making perfect scale models. This culture starts early in studio and prevails throughout our careers. It’s not the mothers who are suddenly terrible at their jobs. The time-demanding culture in architecture is destroying careers.Architecture students need to graduate from 5-year study 100% ready to qualify as an Architect. ![]() But for women who also want children, they’re suddenly facing high-risk pregnancies and often find they are no longer able to bear children because they’ve waited too long. For men, this is typically not a problem. ![]() By the time a woman earns her license, on average, she’s in her mid 30’s. Education, training, and licensure take way too long.Herein lie two fundamental problems with architecture and the reasons why we have so few female leaders and mothers at the top: We wonder why so many women leave architecture, even after many years in the practice. This resentment spreads the misconception that mothers are not as dedicated to their careers as non-mothers. The problem is that dinner plans with friends feels just as important as picking up a baby from daycare, which causes resentment towards mothers. My colleague had to cancel her own plans with friends while the new mom left to pick up her baby. Once a colleague mentioned she resented another colleague who had just become a new mom because the mother left “early” after only working 9 hours. Often this toxic culture pits colleagues against mothers. I decided to join the Women in Architecture to change the culture of architecture to be more equitable for women. Despite my dedication and getting my work done well each day, my successes were attributed to factors outside my hard work. But it didn’t matter because the perception of me as a hard-working team member was dissolving. Was I at work 2 hours before everyone else? Yes I was. I picked him up at 5:30pm sharp, which made it impossible to fulfil the expectation that I should be available to the architecture practice at all hours. I was pregnant and determined to be great at my job.Īfter my son was born, he was the first baby dropped off at daycare, and the last one to be picked up every day. I was devastated but decided to double down and perform even better so that I could work my way back up. You know, like so many men do.Īs soon as I shared the happy news that I was expecting, my superiors took my responsibilities away. I felt confident at work and I thought I could have it all: the prestigious architecture job AND the family. My husband and I decided it was time to start a family. I was doing incredibly well at the firm, had a great relationship with my superiors, and I loved the projects I was working on. I dedicated myself to 6 grueling years of education, 3 years of internship and IDP hours, a recession, 2 years of ARE exams, and eventually worked my way up to a prestigious international architecture practice. I went through the typical architect’s path. I also always wanted to have a family, but I knew I had to work hard to become an architect so I set my entire focus on achieving that goal. I always knew I wanted to be an architect from the moment I learned about the profession. This culture sets up women who want to have children, for failure. And you know what? This culture is stupid. This demanding culture is widespread in architecture. Once a superior scolded me for taking a short dinner break at 8:30 before I worked until 2am. Employees are expected to skip meals and cancel plans with friends and family to complete a deadline (which were often assigned only hours in advance). The more famous the head honcho, the greater the expected time commitment. It’s an ongoing expectation in most firms where I’ve worked. This culture prevails throughout an architect’s career. It earns an unspoken title of the hardest working, most dedicated student, and that implicit sentiment is often translated through to professors and ultimately to grades. The least amount of sleep often equals the most amount of praise and admiration from peers. Starting as an undergrad, studio culture demands long hours, all-nighters, and often leads to caffeine addiction. This piece was written by Megan Blaine, AIA, Past Chair of WIA Silicon Valley.Īrchitecture is fundamentally demanding. ![]()
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