WHERE ARE WOMEN IN INDIAN ARCHITECTURE
ABSTRACT
Charles Correa, B.V. Doshi, Laurie Baker are some of the familiar names which come to our mind when asked about architects in India. Lesser familiar is then names of women who have struggled and paved the way for the global career. When asked about the names and works of women architects, very few names actually pop in our minds. So where are the women architects? Why have they been excluded from the history of architecture? Even if they are there, why aren’t they recognized? What are the reasons behind this? These are some of the questions we ought to find answers for. Is architecture as a profession really biased towards men? What causes an imbalance between the number of female students and women professionals in architecture? Can these issues be resolved by examining the reasons? The paper aims to answer the questions and also identifies the related issues. Trying to answer these questions is just a beginning; the main aim of the research remains to inspire women architects to erase all question marks on their capability. Here, we have documented some influencing stories of women who are challenging and working at par in this so-called “Men-oriented profession”. Things discovered from the live study, day to day experiences were very different from what has been already documented. By examining different issues, this study highlights that gender difference does exist in certain environments and nothing can’t be done to change this sick mentality of people. All we can do is to provide suggestions for the ideal workspace for women that would make working in the architectural firm more inclusive for women.
KEYWORDS Gender equality in architecture, issues that force women to leave architecture, gender sensitization, ideal work environment, inclusivity of women in architecture.
INTRODUCTION
There has been a growing interest in the history and theory of South Asian architecture ever since the concept of modernism took root. The Modern Movement often coexisted with the modernization of post-colonial societies, the scenario in India is no different. After India got independent in 1947, women put their foot into various professions including architecture as a means of expressing the exuberance and modern-ness of the young nation-state; freely adopting the ideas and principles of the Modern Movement as a vision of the future, which was based more on functionalist language and minimalism and less on references taken from colonial association and traditions.
India, having a rich and diverse cultural variety has a range of modern architecture evolved in its different regions over the past couple of decades. However, the richness and complexity of Indian Architecture is sadly limited and celebrated majorly amongst the male master architects who have dominated professional and scholarly discourses ever since. Such practices, particularly vulnerable to masculine stereotypes have made it difficult for women to not only excel in the field but have also reduced their scope to crack this profession.
Despite years of publications and research on the history of women architects, mainstream architectural history has failed to include the contribution of women within, or even alongside, the canon of great men/great buildings. Even the image of the builder conveyed in popular culture — from "The Fountainhead" to "Sleepless in Seattle" — has remained resolutely only male.
So, in the historical trajectory of architecture, where are the women?
Even after women have been proving their passion and talent for design and art for a century now, it is still a paradox that even in the 21st century, architecture continues to be a challenging career path for women and their position is the field continues to be a cause of concern. Although the number of women in the field is slowly rising, there is no denying the fact that architecture is still predominately a male profession, as is the construction business as a whole.
In the academic world, the number of female students, however, has steadily been growing. In 365 plus colleges of architecture, the intake of women students has increased drastically since the 1990s. In fact, it ranges around 60% average just now. Yet, their number actively working in the architectural field rapidly seems to decreases after graduation (WIIA – challenges in the 21st century, 2015). Considering the number of female architects graduating from the universities the percentage of female architects in leading positions in architectural offices is considerably very low.
Here, the other crucial question is: what happens to the hundreds of women graduates? What leads to the glaring gap between their presence in education institutes and in the actual profession?
GLOBAL HISTORY
The two most important strands of 20th Century Architecture are the Modern Movement and the entry of women into the architectural profession. Throughout history, women have often been portrayed in art as objects to be admired for their beauty and charm and very rarely acknowledged as artists themselves. Historically, the role of women was just as a mother and a wife.
Early women architects have been presented in discourse either as objects of curiosity or as lone pioneers, battling discrimination. The invisibility of women architects in mainstream architectural history to date has been a product of how architectural history is determined and constructed. Women struggled both to be allowed entry into the architectural profession as well as to be recognized for their work in the field. Specific and deliberate instances of the exclusion of women architects in architectural history have occurred, however, the motivation for such exclusion is unclear.
CASE 1 – Denis Scott Brown (Gender Studies in Architecture, Space, Power and Difference, 2013)
In 1991, When Robert Venturi was presented with Pritzker Architectural Price, he went on record saying, “it is a bit of a disappointment that the prize didn't go to me and Denis both, because we are married not only as individuals but as designers and architects.”
Venturi and Scott Brown, who first met at the University of Pennsylvania in 1960, developed most of their designs import in their office together. However, at the time of acknowledgment, only Venturi received an award for it.
Even with written work which explicitly carry the names of the authors, the scenario of ignorance with regard to female contributions could be seen.
This is another experience of Dennis Scott with her book- "Learning from Las Vegas" which was written by both Denis and Venturi, where again Venturi is considered to be the only author. In an interview regarding this instance Dennis said “as a wife, I am very happy and honored, but as a collaborator, I feel very unlucky to see my work attributed to Bob… We have developed a body of theory together that owns a great deal to both of us”.
It indeed is a strange phenomenon that to date only a few women artists/architects have been in the annals of art history and that many of them have been just bluntly ignored. A possible explanation with a couple architect here maybe that one assumes that in collaboration, women play more of the supportive role whereas man provides the actual creative performance.
IN the early 1970s women had less access to resources, galleries as well as masters. Even the traditional concept of a work of art, its production and function were defined problematic within the society for women. Linda Nochlin (an American art historian) postulated that the whole art scene, with its male gallery owners, art critics and historians confronted women artists with extreme contempt and placed a lower value in women’s art.
The same can be said in the view of the critics on women who entered the traditionally masculine world of architecture.
CASE 2 – Lilly Reich (Gender Studies in Architecture, Space, Power and Difference, 2013)
Born on 16th June 1885, Lilly Reich was a German Modernistic Designer. In 1912, a journal Paul Westheim criticized the design of the Affordable workers flat that Lilly Reich designed for the Berlin Exhibition. He accused it for containing all mistakes of architecturally incapable women even after her design actually caused much lesser than her other fellow male architects like Peter Behrens, Bruno Paul, etc.
Never the less, in the year 1920, Lily became the first women architect to be elected in the in governing board of the Deutscher Werkbund. This is when she met the Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, vice president of the Deutscher Werkbund and worked as a collaborator with him for more than 10 years in the late 1920 – 1930.
As Linda said, in history, women found it more difficult to exhibit their work, to make a name for themselves with their art and most of all, to sell their work. This is apparent in even the Bauhaus school in Weimar.
CASE 3 – BAUHAUS: THE EXCLUSION OF WOMEN FROM THE ARCHITECTURAL WORLD (Gender Studies in Architecture, Space, Power and Difference, 2013)
When the Bauhaus school of architecture was newly established, admission application by 50 female and 100 male students where filled.
However, in the later years, both male as well as the female students applied in equal numbers. It was then that the that the liberal Legislative in Weimar Republic allowed women the education for the first time.
To this, the founder of Bauhaus - Walter Gropius then stated “ We shall make no distinction between fair sex and strong sex; there should be absolute equality”
Much in contrast to his own words, later in the year 1920, at the meeting Gropius demanded segregation for women who perhaps were numerically more in strength. In the same year, he also demanded more fee to be paid by the female students and increased in the entrance marks requirements from 150 to 180 for them.
Even after the requirements were fulfilled, female students after the introductory classes were sent to learn activities like weaving, book binding, pottery making etc. and were denied any access to architectural studies.
In 1923, Gropius along with the other administrative members agreed on the decision that women would no longer get admitted in the school.
Bauhaus was in fact not supportive of women who wanted to enter male profession. Even the few women who despite all adversity managed to complete architectural education were hardly appreciated in their career.
CASE 4 – Julia Morgan (Gender Studies in Architecture, Space, Power and Difference, 2013)
Julia Morgan was the first female architect licensed in California. Graduated from Oakland High School in 1890 and enrolled in the University of California, she has designed over 700 buildings in California in the career span. She was also first woman to receive the AIA Gold Medal, posthumously in 2014.
Regardless of the enormous number of building she designed, she is not much talked about in the history of architecture.
Many of the art museums were also seen to give greater privilege to the work and art of the male artists. Even in the later canon the problem seemed to continue. Next, is an example of 2009, where Jerry Saltz (art critic for New York Magazine) charged the Museum of Modern Art with ‘gender-based apartheid’.
CASE 5 – Museum of Modern Arts (Gender Studies in Architecture, Space, Power and Difference, 2013)
The history of women at MoMA is antithesis to its history. Founded by three pioneer women in 1929, the institution drew attention between 1960s to 1970s for lacking to represent the contemporary work by women artist of the post-feminist generation. The question of Museum of Modern Art practicing gender-based apartheid is still debated upon.
The museum’s collection displayed 399 objects on view, from which only 19 were by women which is about 5 percent. This figure was still misleading as MoMA here included three decorative objects by estimable Marianne Brandt that weren’t really speaking strictly in the painting and sculpture collection. So, this leads to the real number being 3 percent. Also, the museum has a collection of 135 different artists installed in its floors from which only 9 are women which is still about 6 percent.
It can rather be concluded that MoMA is trying to tell the story of Modernism that only it believes in.
Does this all lead to the conclusion that women in history were considered not well and good or expert enough to succeed in a profession like architecture as stars? Actually, the question is why in the history of architecture were women given so little public recognition for their creative power.
THE CHANGING CANON - Story of Zaha Hadid
From a recent few decades, few women have come to the public eye in the world of architecture. The first women to be regarded as is the London based Zaha Hadid. In 1983, she originally made a name for herself by winning an award in a design competition held in Hong-Kong. Five year later, she was included in a significant exhibition in MoMA in New York on ‘De-constructivist Architecture’. This was despite of her having to build any real project till 1994. In later years she was awarded the Pritzker Prize as well as the Stirling Prizes in a row along with the title of Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her service to architecture.
It is however argued that Hadid’s meteoritic career is an unrepresentative exceptional. Nevertheless, Hadid’s indisputable success no doubt proves that she does not really represent an alternative to the masculine of the architectural world.
HISTORY IN INDIAN CONTEXT
By the twentieth century, women figured prominently in both colonization and modernization. One of the indirect justifications read as a sign of backwardness in the Indian society during the presence of British colonial was a restriction of women.
With modernization in the process, the newly Western-educated men from the liberal and elite section of Indian society wanted to have educated wives who would be their suitable companions. Within this, there also was a subtle aim of people to demonstrate their modernity to the rulers through the changing role of women in the society. Thus, there was a strong desire in Indian men to change the idea of how traditional family works by releasing women from the confines of domesticity.
However, notwithstanding this, the issue of women’s education was debated strictly within the paradigm of the dominant patriarchal ideology.
In the first half of the 20th century, Indian women came out of their kitchens and homes into the public realm in large numbers under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. The post-independence era was a period of major transition for women. The Indian constitution proudly promised equality between genders to all citizens.
A significant number of women took employment in typical feminine occupations such as teaching, nursing, and many other secretarial works.
But gradually, with the growing gender consciousness, women developed a want to enter and achieve distinction in those gendered spaces that were previously off limits to them. A few of the first generation of “daughters of independence” began to join fields like medicine, engineering, journalism, media, and management. Some also participated in politics and the administrative services (Madhavi Desai. Woman’s eye, woman’s hand- making art and architecture in modern India, 2014).
WOMEN ARCHITECTS IN INDIA
The story of Indian women in the field of architecture begins as early as the 1930s with Perin Jamshedji Mistri who widely is believed to have been the country’s first qualified woman in the architectural profession. She graduated with a diploma in architecture from Mumbai’s Sir J.J School of Art in 1936 and then head on to work in the family business, designing everything from churches to factories in a career that spanned for almost half a century.
Since then, many Indian women have pursued architecture but their names have often not as recognized as those of men such as Charles Correa or BV Doshi.
As a profession, architecture remained the prerogative of men after independence. Even at the turn of the 21st Century, the profession still is deeply patriarchal. There is a substantial and worrisome discrepancy between the number of female students (about 50% and more) in schools of architecture and the numbers of women practicing in the field (about 11% to 12%). This is in sharp contrast to other design fields such as fashion, graphics, textiles, and perhaps even interior design where women have gathered the critical mass.
Even in those cases where spouses practice architecture together, the usual practice is for the woman architect to limit her responsibilities to the office while her husband predominantly meets clients, contractors, and conducts site visits. At the same time, because it provided women with a safe point of entry into the field, there are women who have benefited immensely from this joint practice scenario and have been able to carve out an identity for themselves.
Architecture remains a male-dominated profession with elitist values that give exorbitant importance to prestige, glamour, and image making, leading young designers to aspire to stardom by creating iconic buildings. It is within this scenario that we find the first few women joining the field of architecture in India: they were exceptions and yet they blazed a trail for future generations to follow. Perin Jamshedji Mistri, Pravina Mehta, Gira Sarabhai, Urmila Elie Chowdhary, Hema Sankalia are some of the names that are historically important.
These early architects belonged to elite families and were well connected. They joined ‘Madhavi Desai’s shifting boundaries and creating identities’ the professional course due to their family’s liberal views and unconditional encouragement for higher education. They had sophisticated taste and were aware of the arts such as literature, painting, and music. Their privileged background gave them the security and perhaps the arrogance of class and exposure that helped them reach a level of success where their contemporaries failed to make a professional dent.
Gira Sarabhai, born in 1923 and in her late eighties, was at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West in Arizona for a few years during the 1940s. She is a designer par excellence. Pravina Mehta (1923–1992), with her master’s degree in architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), was a rebel and a visionary. She mooted the New Bombay Plan in 1965 along with Charles Correa and Shirish Patel. Urmila Elie Chowdhury 1923, received her bachelor’s degree in architecture from Sydney University in Australia and worked under Le Corbusier on the Chandigarh Capital Project in 1951 (Madhavi Desai. Woman’s eye, woman’s hand- making art and architecture in modern India, 2014).
By the mid-1960s, not only the upper middle class but also the other girls were able to aspire for a professional role, however distant it may have seemed at the beginning. The course was long and arduous, lasting six years, in comparison with the four-year program of a typical college degree in the 1960s and 1970s, soon these girls were in minority (generally four to five in a class of thirty to forty) and they experienced social restrictions that their male peers did not experience, for example, when they tried to work late at night in studios it was summoned up to be a new and big deal for the people around. Furthermore, their parents far from belonging to the privileged elites were not much aware of architecture as a profession nor was the society as a whole. It was also the time of the Great Masters building in India, within the ethos of total adaptation and fascination with modernism.
This project of modernity, as well as the modern movement in architecture, shaped the lives and careers of these women in India which gave birth to many stories that touch upon the professional and personal lives of women and their achievements as they took hesitant steps in the profession without role models and network support. They negotiated the various forces of resistance while venturing into the public realm, sometimes with non-conventional approaches and attitudes, to reach the desired level of success.
Such stories continue to reflect even today from the names like Neelam Manjunath, Trupti Doshi, Revathi Kamath, Abha Narain Lambah, Brinda Somaya and many more who despite all adversity managed to make it to the top. And the story doesn’t end here, it seems that these architects are not getting enough of their learning and profession so along with maintaining their work and name in the mainstream architectural practice, majority of them are doing exceptionally well by experimenting with their practicing style which includes playing with the materials in hand and by the ways of meeting the demands. Their more sensitive approach towards the choice of material and its execution is what that makes them stand out from their contemporaries.
“Green & Sustainable construction in India is not an option anymore, it is the only way left if we want the Human race to survive” these are the words by Neelam Manjunath who is committed to fighting the climate change and strongly advocates the use of naturally abundant, renewable, low energy, local material -BAMBOO.
She uses bamboo to construct walls, beams, columns, doors, windows and furniture which helps in cutting down the cost of the project by 40% which is a big figure for the client and the equally big figure for nature and surrounding.
Likewise, Trupti Doshi focuses on Ecologically sensitive approach to architecture by using CSEBs as her primary material and minimum use of Steel & Cement, ensuring that the materials travel ZERO KMs to the site and Revathi Kamath who has reinvented indigenous building techniques by working with MUD reducing her dependence on plastic, metal, cement & stone making “sustainability” central to her approach to buildings, all these women are not just justifying the teachings and architectural values but also raising the bar of the profession which in itself is commendable and worth getting inspired from. They all are writing their own stories in a completely unique way which no one has ever done before and at the same time, they stand as the proud ambassadors of the most evolved and skillful generation of Women in Indian Architecture which seems way more capable and responsible than any of their male counterparts.
From having social and family barriers to managing them all brilliantly, from working under male architects as mere helpers to having their own firms with their own signature working styles, Women in Indian Architecture have come a long way. The way which is loud enough stating that it is not at all a Men’s world but the world of Creativity and Passion that dominates and vibrates and if one has it, they will surface up sooner or later which has been evidently shown by these women and definitely would be seen in the future throughout, till the doom.
CONCEPTUAL ANALYSIS
In last half century Indian woman have expanded their career ambitions and spread their wings towards profession and roles previously inaccessible to them due to multiple factors. However, 21st century has seen a great integration of women in architecture as a student, practitioner, and as a renowned architect. This journey as said by many was not easy for these women to accomplish. Yet, they flourished and stood out confident.
To appreciate this and acknowledge the work of such architects and know their experiences related to establishing their practices both alone or with partners, their day-to-day experiences while handling clients, staff, and the site we interviewed some of these amazing personalities who’ve stood against odds.
For better understanding of the topic, five different types of profiles were chosen starting from the very initial level of this field which is the educational phase. At college level, several students both from the bachelors and masters were interviewed and their experiences and expectations from this field were summarized. This was taken as the first case as we believe that the idea of gender discrimination has not yet seeped into the educational system and because it would give a clear result of the expectation of a young mind form the field.
As the second case study, newly graduates in the field were chosen. The reason for this was to analyze two different aspect of the same profile. First the one who is experiencing the fresh working days of profession and second who is far deviated from it after graduation. This not only helped us learn about the changing scenario of the work culture but also the theory and
Third case study was from an established architect who is doing exceptionally well in her career and also serves as a visiting faculty at a renowned architecture college. She was considered appropriate for these interview-based survey because by now she would have had a vast and flexible experience and would know the situation of women in the field. This interview helped us get some revival ideas and measures and understand the situation better.
The case study of the last profile was a crucial one. An architect who shares her life and work with her spouse brings a tremendous change in ones working style and dependency. There is no doubt that working as professional’s serves women’s greater advantage than the others. However, ground realities often turn different than what one thinks.
PROFILE 1- GRADUATED AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
Bachelor’s and Master’s students,
School of planning and architecture, Bhopal
On interviewing graduated and undergraduate students on their perception of the challenges faced by the women in architecture in 21st century and their expectations from this field. We received different views by the young minds of School of planning and architecture. One thing which was observed amongst the undergraduate students was that the idea of huge dropout rate and the male dominance in the field has yet not seeped in into the Indian educational institutes. Some of the already graduated students experienced a glimpse of it as soon as they started working after their graduation.
On interviewing the students, it was clear that each and every girl had a strong inclination towards this field making them enter architecture. Girls join the educational institutes without any idea of the male dominance in the field. Even their strong inclination and interest in the field could not stop them for leaving or dropping the field later after graduation. Why is it that, even after such determination and inclination there is such a huge dropout rate? Why do girls run away from their interests? What is so urging which makes them forget all of their interest in the field?
The girls are definitely expecting a lot from this field after their graduation or post-graduation. We didn’t come across anyone who has already made up her mind of moving out from this field after their degree.
Mithali Wowreh, an already graduated student, having one year of work experience and now doing masters in conservation department says “talking about conservation, I think there is no gender discrimination because there are a lot of female architects. The industry is female dominant. 80% of the conservation architects in India are actually females.”
When asked about gender-based issues faced by her in the field she said “When it comes to site visits they very well know that there are a bunch of males who can do the things better and then there is a set of work which the women can do better. So, it’s always been very segregated and nobody feels biased about it because it is very sorted.”
Simran Preet, again an already graduated student left practicing after six months and came into teaching. When asked about what made her do so she said “I overtime found out while practicing that it is very difficult to communicate with the labors and contractors because they are all men and they consider you like – “are ye toh ladki hai isko kya samajh me aaeyga. Hame zada pata hai (she’s a girl, s will not understand this. We know much more than her)”
One of the contractors even said “Arey madam aap mat boliye, aap jo padhai krke aati hai hame pata hai ladkiya kya karke aati hai, aap chodiye” (madam, you don’t interfere, we are well aware what you study in collage).
“I preferred teaching because my parents wanted me to get married and they wanted me to take teaching as a profession because it is so-called secured job and not much interaction with men would take place,” says Simran Preet.
Going against her parent's will of not doing masters and instead of getting married she still applied for it and did not lose her hope and determination. When she got into the School of Planning and Architecture her parents were wanting her to go only to some local college if she really wanted to study so that they can see her home every day out of security. Fighting against all odds she came into S.P.A all alone without informing her parents for an interview and on getting selected she then convinced them.
PROFILE 2- PROFESSIONAL
AR. SANJANA MEHRA, NOIDA
"We cannot do it alone: fighting the whale, eating the whale, must be a collective effort".
Ar. Sanjana Mehra suggests that the question be raised in a national dialogue. Although, the first step is a discussion within our community, not only among professionals, but also those growing to become future architects. When asked about her management of family and work life, she said: "Having a family is as if these two things could not be comfortably together, it makes the situation very stressful. And I think that the profession is just not kind to those kinds of issues, it is so demanding as a profession. Women do both, family and practice at the same time, especially when emerging ... especially when trying to move forward. I think that when you become a partner in your office, you have more power at your own time. "
Gender equality in the field of architecture is not a novelty, nor is it most industries. It is a problem that requires collective action but starts with an individual. By stepping into the room as a female architect, whether aspiring to work for equal pay in the industry, fighting for positions at institutions lacking in female professors, or lobbying for legal rights, every move we make matters. By bringing the topic to the table of discussion, we begin to address the problem in the room; by acting, we begin to force it out.
VISHAKHA AGRAHARI
(VARANASI, UTTAR PRADESH)
“I don’t want to work as a draftsman, but want to design something on my own, from my soul”
Belonging to a sacred city of Banaras and pursuing architecture from one of India’s best college was a dream come true for her. This was what she always wanted to do. But shifting from design was her own personal decision. She is as of now being working as a lifestyle accessory designer and a freelancer. She has even begun her own startup via social media and wants to do her post-graduation in designing itself.
When asked about the reason for choosing designing over architecture, she replied that she had some sort of enthusiasm for art architecture and added that designing and architecture are likewise in many manners, in the former one you design a product which is replaced by a building in the later one.
Her family has been very supportive all throughout her decision of not choosing architecture further as a career. and her shifting interest in designing products. Although, as a graduate from one of India’s best collage of architecture in 2016, she received a lot of opportunities to continue her job as an architect yet she chose her passion. This was because she didn’t want to work as a draftsman and didn’t find anything enticing and always had a will to design something on her own.
She concluded saying, that if someone still believed that women can’t pursue architecture or designing as a career, nothing really could be done to change their mentality. However, in the 21st century, girls have many opportunities to explore and she should never settle for anything less than what she deserves. One should always be open and willing to try new things.
PROFILE 4- PRACTIONER
AR. CHITRA MATHUR
VISITING FACULTY AND PRACTICING ARCHITECT
“work hard! work hard! work hard! forget about gender discrimination. You’ll yourself be getting what you want to achieve if you’re determined”
As a female architect, coming from a family background of civil engineers motivated her to pursue architecture. After graduating from MITS Gwalior in 2002 she started her career as a professional. Ever since then she never looked back. She moved to Delhi initially in search of better opportunities and worked on some big projects like girl’s hostel, IIT Delhi and BITS Pilani, Hyderabad, etc. Later, when she shifted to Bhopal, she worked as project architect for Ashima mall, then shifted to real estate in 2010.
Currently, she has been practicing architecture along with working as a visiting faculty in School of planning and architecture, Bhopal.
“field experience is entirely different from what has been taught in college,” says Chitra Mathur. Immediately after graduating college, stepping into the profession was entirely different experience to her apart from what has been taught to her in college. Her initial days were very hectic and made her burn the midnight oil. As a woman, in her earlier days in the profession, she faced severe time issues due to which her work was given to someone else. Secondly, her barrier to not be able to work overnight at the site as compared to her male colleagues made it a pressure for her get site jobs.
She strongly disagrees with the statement of architecture being considered as a men-oriented field. She believes that present-day scenarios have changed now and well recognized architectural firms have an equal intake of male and female. Her say about the dropout rate of females is lack of willingness in females due to some family reasons and they compromise work. She strongly believes that those who actually want to work have to manage hand in hand both their family and work. She says, “first and foremost a woman should have an attitude towards work and family support will come along”.
She suggested women who leave the field for personal leisure to opt for any other courses like home science. She believes it’s unfair that a woman after spending five crucial years of her life leaves the idea of pursuing the field further while a more deserving candidate sits back not even getting a chance.
Her message to all the young architects was to be determined in what so ever field they pursued. With a generation of so supportive men, she says, society now has become more understanding and open in terms of work sharing. If done so by all, it could help us make the life of aspiring women architects better.
PROFILE 5- COUPLE ARCHITECTS
MR. AND MRS. DESAI
(GOA)
“Architecture is an art that thrives on the argument. The silent battles that poets and sculptors wage with themselves, architects need to articulate. Because a skyscraper costs much more than a sonnet, because in the end others will build it, and because the finished product won’t stand isolated on a page or a pedestal, people who design buildings expend their creative energies suggesting, defending, criticizing, revising and adjusting to a thousand external needs. And since you can argue creatively only with someone you trust, what better sparring partner than a spouse?” Ms. Semele Desai said when asked about her experience of having a partner in the same field.
Customers preferred Mr. Jatin Desai to Semele. Get together at all-male clubs, a request to step away from a group of architects that was posing for a photograph, accusations that she was resentful, and demanding. Today a less candid sexism comes out in the numbers: women represent about half of all architecture students but only 17% of active architects.
"Sometimes a customer may prefer Semele to me," said Jatin. "But I absolutely know: if you want it built, we have to be both," said Desai, who has always supported his wife until today.
They even revealed the fact that it is harder for a woman to get the same credit for her work on a husband and wife team. Oftentimes people just assume that the male partner runs the office while the female partner teaches.
CHALLENGES FACED BY INDIAN WOMEN IN ARCHITECTURE – Literature Studies
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70
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40
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45
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55
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70
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20
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80
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YES / NO (in %)
• Low/Unequal pay
• Long working hours
• Inflexible/ Un-Family-Friendly work hours
• Sidelining
• Stressful work conditions
• Protective paternalism preventing experience development
• The limited area of work
• More job satisfaction elsewhere
• Lack of return
Architecture has come a long way since the days of these first rebel women. In India there are more women than men who study architecture but when it comes to the professional field, majority of them are missing. Women are seen everywhere from politics and school principals to the main partners of global companies. Yet, despite these undeniable successes, serious restrictions remain. An international survey of the 2013 Journal of Architects showed that sexism in the construction industry is getting worse. Women have reported a growing wage gap, growing experiences of discrimination (such as the rejection of female authority) and poor support for family-friendly policies.
More than half of the female students suffered sexual discrimination at school. This surprising discovery supports the idea that architectural pedagogy begins a new generation in a professional misogynist culture. In 2007 a group of teachers from the KTH School of Architecture in Stockholm intervened, founder of FATALE, which incorporated feminist studies into the curriculum, making students aware of the ideological structures of power integrated into the discipline. The impact of the group on school culture has been far-reaching, from the promotion of new research projects to the students themselves who emerge as voices of change.
The post-graduate years mark a critical moment in the career of a female architect. Many fail to make the transition to practice, a phenomenon that is poorly understood. Women account for about half of India's architecture graduates, but only 20 percent of professionals. This high rate of neglect is not reducible to biology; other demanding professions, like medicine, do not experience a similar exodus. It is suggested that the frustration of women with the lack of progress and the continuing professional culture of "men", together with the disincentive of the lower salary, contribute significantly to their decision to leave.
WAY FORWARD
The great idea of the research continues to inspire women architects to keep up the good work and clarify all the question marks on their capability and competence. The possibility of doing so may be simply being who we are and how we are.
Following are some attempts that can be taken to encourage female students to take the profession more seriously.
• Inspiring stories of successful women architects should be shared amongst young girls.
• Special scholarships can be planned for girls to help and encourage them.
• Women should be given equal authority as men in the decision-making chairs. Also, some jobs for women can be guaranteed in policy-setting groups. This will help to make projects more inclusive in terms of gender, which is a necessity of the hour.
• Architecture students should receive specific training to improve their entrepreneurial skills along with design skills that can provide women with the opportunity to set up their own practice.
• Practices such as "flexible hours" and "work at home" for women architects could generate considerable differences.
IDEAL WORKING SPACE ENVIRONMENT FOR WOMEN
Over the past few decades, the workplace has become a much more diverse environment. As women representing 24.4% of the total workforce in India, personal security has become a central element of their physical, intellectual, emotional, economic and spiritual well-being.
We suggest guidelines for the safety of women at the workplace which are broadly categorized under four heads:
1. Physical
2. Environmental
3. Organizational
4. Educational
PHYSICAL
This focuses on the physical security of women employees in an organization. It determines the safety of employees while they are at work / inside the office premises: the workplace must be safe and women must have basic safety at work and in the office.
• Installation of electronic doors that allow access to the work area only to employees / authorized personnel.
• A security guard or a colleague to accompany the driver in the cab, if a woman staff working for a night shift is the first to be picked up or the last to be dropped
• GPS-based monitoring of cabs/ transport vehicles with panic buttons.
ENVIRONMENTAL
The environmental aspect complements the physical aspect of safety and helps to maintain a safe standard everywhere. This plays a fundamental role in guaranteeing the basic but critical aspects of employee safety.
• Well-lit work areas, staircases and parking areas until the last employee leaves the site
• Provision of company transport for women working in night shifts both to and from the workspace.
• The hiring of cabs/transport vehicles regularly only by established agencies
ORGANISATIONS
It is up to the employer to create a positive atmosphere in the workplace where a woman is encouraged to come to work, confident that she will be treated with dignity, respect and protected from harassment.
• The majority or at least two women are members of the committee, one of the staff and one of the administration.
• Each office must have a representative to report to the committee.
EDUCATION ASPECTS
The awareness of women employees of their company policies on sexual harassment and gender discrimination, and the more they are encouraged to report all cases of discrimination without fear, the greater would be their feeling of security and empowerment.
• Provide training for all women employed and educate them on their rights and facilities.
• Training of all women staff on staying alert and being better prepared.
• Sensitization of male employees through training sessions
All in all, but the real hopes lie in the gender awareness of all stakeholders and in the understanding that the best qualifications, however, is the one’s own work in the form of building, projects and architectural research. This attracts attention, awakens expectations and challenges to do more. Maybe, then your gender won’t matter anymore and the word ‘Architect’ shall be all-inclusive.
REFERENCES
Despina Startigakos (2016). Where are women architects? New York, NY: Princeton University Press.
School of planning and architecture, Delhi. Women in Indian architecture- challenges of 21st century New Delhi, India: School of planning and architecture.
Dorte Kuhlmann (2013). Gender Studies in Architecture, Space, Power and Difference New, NY: Routledge
Despina Stratigakos Places Journal. https://placesjournal.org/article/what-i-learned-from-architect-barbie/
How architecture cheats women: results of the 2017 Women in Architecture survey revealed
27 February 2017 by Bruce Tether
D.Fairchild Ruggles. Madhavi Desai. Woman’s eye, woman’s hand- making art and architecture in modern India, 2014.
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