Top 10 Buildings: Women in Architecture

I have a daughter who has her own business from her home. So article is not surprising but interesting. She is in her mid-50s and has been able to combine a career with home and child rearing responsibilities.

For a male columnist to interview a famous male architect about why there aren't more famous women architects is not only insipid, but it is also demeaning to those of us who are practicing female architects. Would you like to know why there are not more women in architecture? How about the prevailing glass ceiling effect in the larger, established firms? When I interviewed after college for my first job, I met conference room after conference room full of middle aged men. It became clear after awhile that, if they were going to hire a woman to be their first architectural intern, the main criterion had nothing to do with how well I did in school, my portfolio, my letters of recommendation, my professionalism or anything else. They were looking for "eye candy." In the office I now work, I can say little has changed. No wonder women decide to do something else!

For a male columnist to interview a famous male architect about why there aren't more famous women architects is not only insipid, but it is also demeaning to those of us who are practicing female architects. Would you like to know why there are not more women in architecture? How about the prevailing glass ceiling effect in the larger, established firms? When I interviewed after college for my first job, I met conference room after conference room full of middle aged men. It became clear after awhile that, if they were going to hire a woman to be their first architectural intern, the main criterion had nothing to do with how well I did in school, my portfolio, my letters of recommendation, my professionalism or anything else. They were looking for "eye candy." In the office I now work, I can say little has changed. No wonder women decide to do something else!