How Women Work

 

[Published 10/06/2021]

Intro

This blog piece is based on an online lecture given by Wendy Perring MA Arch (Edin.) Dip Arch (Dist) ARB. RIBA (yes, I took a deep breath too) and Collette Raine BA (Hons). M.Arch. ARB. from PAD studio. They spoke about women within Architecture. How women bring different aspects to the industry and why these aspects are important.

They felt that female leaders tend to be more inclusive and nurturing towards their team. Though there is no neurological evidence backing this. A quick look into PADs digital presents can confirm that respect and clear communication are held in high esteem as an organisation.

In their blog articles about collaboration, clear communication regarding boundaries, roles and direction were common themes. The comment "empower your team with the freedom to use their skills and respect their professional opinion and ability." stood out to me as a strong explanation of how they like to run and how I (as a woman ) would like to be treated in a work setting.

A feminist approach

Women in the workplace has always been a feminist issue. But the term can evoke a number of feelings and be described in a number of ways. In fact, feminism has become an academic subject in its own right.

DR Chris Beasley, whose career has been focused on interdisciplinary work in both Humanities and Social Sciences. Wrote; What is Feminism? : An Introduction to Feminist Theory. The book aims to look at feminism as a subject and demystify it. Beasley says that feminism has a fluid, map-like definition, which is understandably hard to explain. She quotes 'Rothfield' who says ", feminism is scarcely a static label, but this is not to suggest that feminism has no boundaries'. "

The term originated in France in the 1890s. At times the main focus of this definition has been personal, not subjective. I.e. talking about the type of person who follows feminism, not feminism itself.

If someone is less academic, it is still likely that they have come across Cosmopolitan. A magazine aimed at women covering a range of female issues. If you type feminism into their UK web page, you will find various subjects being explored. However, the article that stood out was an article on Caitlin Moran. Where the writer agreed  with Moran's comment that "feminism just means being equal to men."

This quote continued, "you can make it whatever you want. There are going to be 3.3 billion different kinds of feminist because there's 3.3 billion kinds of women. We all have different kinds of concerns and hopes and fears, but I think we're all united by the belief that we want to be equal to men." the second part of the comment could be looked upon as covering herself. However, it ultimately gives people a clear, simple definition that they can then iterate and expand on themselves.

If you look at the life and voice of Zaha Hadid. The notion of being a woman in a man's world sees her swaying between an understanding of how being a woman affects her career and wanting to take femininity out of the equation. Wanting to be judged as a mans equal. While trying to support women in the industry. Both of the definitions of feminism worked within Zaha's context. In her time, she was both the token female starchitect and the most influential women in architecture.

What do we want?

What can men do? I can understand their feeling of imbalance and how some men feel that they genuinely cannot do right from wrong. For years men have had the female experience and the correct way to interact with females miss explained. Whether they have been happily complicit in patriarchy or mixed up in its fairy tale. Over the last 100 years, a construct, at least as old as the Ancient Romans, has and continues to change rapidly. Which has seen varied reactions from men. But what do women need from men to have successful careers?

PAD studios lecture spoke about how women were prone to dropping out of architecture due to their home life.

One way of tackling this is to level the professional fertility playing field. Kathy Burke, a leader in the entertainment and media industry. Has just completed a Channel 4 series of modern-day women's issues. She followed a range of women on different journeys throughout their life. Joanna, an investment analyst in the City, who studied at Cambridge, was a participant. Burk spoke to her about wanting to have children but not wanting to give up her career. She froze her eggs and hopes to have children later in life like many of her male colleagues. Part of the beauty of this story is that some of her ex-boyfriends had understood their part in her wait for children and had helped to fund her surgery. This option is expensive, preventing many women from accessing this option.

Laura Simpkins spoke on the Architecture Social podcast, created by Stephen Drew, a recruiter who has spent many years in the architecture field. She candidly spoke about how much being the primary caregiver of 3 children has affected her carer. She had to work hard to convince employers to give her opportunities that will suit her availability, i.e. part-time or/and at home. Watching men less experienced than her sprint up the ladder. Finally setting up her own practice to give her the carer she wanted and needed. She felt that the lockdown will benefit women in the long run as it will make working at home normal.

A woman's struggle in the workplace was fictionalised in Made in Dagenham. A film based on the "1968 strike at the Ford Dagenham car plant, where female workers walked out in protest against sexual discrimination." (IMDB) Considered the home life implications of the strike and how the support (or lack of) given by the men in their lives and at the plant, affected the process. As well as how low female wages had affected both the men and the women. We have come a long way since then, but men still get paid more than women. "The 2020 mean gender pay gap (the difference between men's and women's average hourly pay) is 6.5% and the median gender pay gap is 15.9%. In monetary terms, the mean hourly difference in ordinary pay is £1.65 and the median hourly difference is £4.04." Essentially women are missing out on £11.55 to £28.28 a day (7hours). It's both disrespectful and hart braking.

Ultimately women need men to respect their right to fertility. Though I doubt the government or employers will provide woman with the resources to freeze their eggs any time soon. A lot more can be done to empower primary caregivers (which are mostly women). This, in turn, prevents the waste of talented, educated, Profesionales. They also need equal pay, respect and support.

 

 

 

Thinking about the task

I aimed to approach this subject in the spirit of learning, focussing on the workplace as it was the lecture topic. I wanted to look for solutions to problems, not problems themselves. It would have been effortless to speak about the recent backlash against male violence. However, I feel this has already been spoken about extensively, and the key to change is a plan for the way forward.

 

Bibliography

 

Beasley, Chris. What is Feminism? : An Introduction to Feminist Theory, SAGE Publications, 1999. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/portsmouth-ebooks/detail.action?docID=689479.

Created from portsmouth-ebooks on 2021-04-08 03:14:23.

 

Channel 4. (n.d.). Kathy Burke's All Woman: Kathy Burke's All Woman - Episode Guide. [online] Available at: https://www.channel4.com/programmes/kathy-burkes-all-woman/episode-guide/ [Accessed 10 Jun. 2021].

 

Cosmopolitan. (n.d.). Feminism: what is a feminist? [online] Available at: https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/feminism-what-is-feminist/ [Accessed 10 Jun. 2021].

 

Ewens, H. (n.d.). Young, Male and Anti-Feminist – The Gen Z Boys Who Hate Women. [online] www.vice.com. Available at: https://www.vice.com/en/article/dyv7by/anti-feminist-gen-z-boys-who-hate-women?utm_source=pocket-newtab-global-en-GB [Accessed 10 Jun. 2021].

 

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Ivory, W. (2010). Made in Dagenham. [online] IMDb. Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1371155/.

 

open.spotify.com. (n.d.). A conversation with the wonderful Laura Simpkins from Pride Road Architects. [online] Available at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3ibzuSAY4vifWqrloov3ov?si=wyd2X_wsSmOLzV6k4j7s9Q&dl_branch=1 [Accessed 10 Jun. 2021].

 

PAD studio. (2021a). BoA #2 – What makes a client a good collaborator? [online] Available at: https://padstudio.co.uk/insights/boa-2-what-makes-a-client-a-good-collaborator/ [Accessed 10 Jun. 2021].

 

PAD studio. (2021b). BOA #3 – Collaborative Process. [online] Available at: https://padstudio.co.uk/insights/boa-3-collaborative-process/ [Accessed 10 Jun. 2021].

 

researchers.adelaide.edu.au. (n.d.). Emerita Professor Christine Beasley | Researcher Profiles. [online] Available at: https://researchers.adelaide.edu.au/profile/christine.beasley [Accessed 10 Jun. 2021].

 

Scott, E. (2014). Caitlin Moran's 5 rules of feminism are excellent. [online] Cosmopolitan. Available at: https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/reports/news/a29991/caitlin-morans-5-rules-of-feminism/ [Accessed 10 Jun. 2021].

 

the Guardian. (2008). Lynn Barber meets Zaha Hadid. [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/mar/09/women.architecture [Accessed 10 Jun. 2021].

 

www.youtube.com. (n.d.). Dame Zaha Hadid | Full Q&A | Oxford Union. [online] Available at: https://youtu.be/k0gLhcPOtdM.

 

www.youtube.com. (n.d.). Mariana on working at ZAHA Hadid Architects. [online] Available at: https://youtu.be/zpDOHCOKO5A [Accessed 10 Jun. 2021].

 

www.youtube.com. (n.d.). Zaha Hadid. Who Dares Wins. Architecture Documentary. [online] Available at: https://youtu.be/SOd5tiAKBs0 [Accessed 10 Jun. 2021].

 

Zaha Hadid and Suprematism | Tate Talks (2014). Zaha Hadid and Suprematism | Tate Talks. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://youtu.be/GF_qPKnrrHo [Accessed 22 Nov. 2020].