Infographic: Women in Architecture

By Megan Jett
(click here for original article)

CORRECTION: A previous version of this infographic stated that Sharon E. Sutton was the first African-American professor to become a full-time professor of architecture at an accredited professional degree program. In fact, she was the first full professor of architecture in an accredited professional program, which means she was promoted all the way up the ranks from assistant to full, rather than simply hired full time.

Comments

[cktailgrl]

10:27 PM on 03/20/2012

AOL, really? "Less" women? It's plural. "Fewer" women" is correct.

[fmeyer11]

06:39 PM on 03/20/2012

Fewer, not less, you illiterate.

[newsjunkie43]

06:12 PM on 03/20/2012

I'm married to an architect and it's been an interesting run. However, I am the language geek in the family. Really, HuffPo! It's "Occupation FEWER Women Are Joining." "Less" is used for things we can't count (air, knowledge, etc.) and "fewer" for things we can count, e.g. women -- and votes! Your editors need a good kick in the grammar book!

[whirlpool]

09:17 PM on 03/19/2012

No one in their right mind male or female should go into architecture. The field collapsed about three years ago and still is not coming back. Many firms went bankrupt.

[googooplex8]

06:51 PM on 03/19/2012

This was quite interesting to look at and read. I've been looking to go into architecture and this was a nice bit of information that I hadn't seen about architecture before.

[ThinkCreeps]

11:55 AM on 03/19/2012

Where are the women? In hiding and cringing after seeing anything built by Hadid?
Although, Quinlan Terry and Terry Farrell should do the same for men.

[ActaNonVerbaNow]

10:41 PM on 03/18/2012

This is a very important article about equality. I look forward to future articles asking about the lack of female representation among sanitation workers, mining jobs, front line combatants, the unsheltered homeless, prison, and so forth. More at 11.

[lklex]

03:40 PM on 03/20/2012

How right you are! According to the U.S. Department of Labor, men account for a staggering 92% of workplace deaths in the U.S. According to Pentagon statistics, men account for nearly 99% of our KIA in Iraq and Afghanistan. Women...it's time to close those enormous gender gaps (chasms).

[pinkpoodle79]

08:34 PM on 03/18/2012

I went to school for architecture and changed my major after a couple years because I wanted to have kids without having to do the super-mom thing. Almost ten years later, I don't have kids, and I wish I would have stayed in architecture!

[JackieSmith890]

12:51 AM on 03/19/2012

i hope women read your comment and learn a lesson! kids are a waste of time for the most part.

[pinkpoodle79]

09:00 AM on 03/19/2012

You can always switch to a less demanding line of work if you want to spend more time with family. It's much harder to go back to school after you've been out for a while and accumulated responsibilities.

[RationalAnimal]

09:29 AM on 03/19/2012

Theý sure are for parents incapable of love and empathy. Oh, and I'm so sorry about your childhood.

[Kellybelle22]

10:10 PM on 03/20/2012

Did you go into a related field, Pinkpoodle? One that still satisfied your bent for drawing-design-mathematical angles?

[Shaniqua Adams]

08:07 PM on 03/18/2012

Thank you for this article!

[OhSusana]

07:43 PM on 03/18/2012

Interesting to note that, despite the difficulties for women in architecture, Houston, Texas has three women heading up schools of architecture--Patricia Belton Oliver, Dean of University of Houston College of Architecture; Sarah Whiting, Dean of Rice University School of Architecture; Ikhlas Sabouni, Dean of Prairie View A & M University. Amazing women, all of them!

[MissTake1989]

07:27 PM on 03/18/2012

Drafting tables are now sexist, too?

The patriarchy never sleeps.

[Morrisfactor]

03:40 PM on 03/18/2012

Interesting piece and time line.

Female architects are probably less now since the housing market has basically collapsed, with a much smaller demand for custom homes. Naturally this would force many architects to find other careers.

I'm sure if a survey was run on male architects, that you'd find their numbers have declined too.

[pinkpoodle79]

08:41 PM on 03/18/2012

That would be interesting to find out. I think the golden era of architecture has passed, and everything has been cheapened. People don't want to pay for architectural skill and quality anymore. They want a cheap building with a trendy facade. It's throw-away architecture--just like everything else today.

[Morrisfactor]

09:12 PM on 03/18/2012

Yes, Pinkpoodle,

I agree, things seem to be so disposable these days...

[Kellybelle22]

10:21 PM on 03/20/2012

Good hypothesis, Morris. I'm betting you're right. And with business lending so tight, certainly business starts are way down, too, whether build-outs of existing buildings or new building starts. It wouldn't surprise me at all if men had seen a similar decrease. I'd bet money men have been hit hard in layoffs in this field, too. Thanks for providing sane perspective.

[Morrisfactor]

01:03 AM on 03/21/2012

Oh, you're on to something Kellybelle - I had totally forgotten about the commercial end of building.

Not surprising if BOTH male and female architects have been hurt in this economy.

[Lechiffre]

09:45 AM on 03/18/2012

Interesting info graph. RIP Norma Merrick Sklarek 1928-2012