ABSTRACT
“The loss of creative talent of the women who leave ill serves the profession as it fights to retain its influence. It is essential that the architectural profession is fit for purpose in the 21st century.” In 2014 six architects gathered for a photoshoot for the BBC television programme The Brits who Built the Modern World. Before taking their final positions for the photograph, one of the six was asked to stand aside. The percentage of women architects in 2001 was 13% and despite the gradual increase in females entering higher education to study architecture, the percentage of women within the profession had barely changed over a number of years. It appeared that the number of women leaving was cancelling out the gains in female recruitment to architecture schools and new entrants to the Architects Register. A paradigm shift to create a more flexible and inclusive working environment would benefit all architects, not just women.
