Where Are the Women Architects?

"All too timely."--Carol Tavris, Wall Street Journal "[A] slim but sharp volume on problems women face in the architecture profession... [A] concise, accessible book."--Publishers Weekly "An excellent introduction to the recurring question that serves as the volume's title... Compact but thorough."--Library Journal, starred review "Where Are the Women Architects? ... explores the reasons why female designers have struggled to gain a foothold in the profession, despite recent efforts and campaigns, and why the attrition of women in the profession continues... From a look at Mattel's architecture Barbie, an intervention in popular culture, to an exploration of the campaign to pressure the Pritzker committee to give equal recognition to Denise Scott Brown (partner and wife of Pritzker laureate Robert Venturi) [Stratigakos] explores numerous facets of architecture's gender imbalance."--Patrick Sisson, Curbed "The book is an excellent primer if you already are concerned about the topic--but especially if you are not."--Anthony Paletta, Urban Land "Stratigakos does not analyze inequalities from afar. She documents interventions and, in some cases, she is among the main instigators. Though Stratigakos is an academic architectural historian, her own agency is a wonderful departure from the typical academic's distance from their subject."--Raj Mankad, OffCite.org "'Male-dominated' is an understatement in architecture... In this slim chronicle, architectural historian Despina Stratigakos incisively catalogues the setbacks."--Books in Brief "The insidious and hidden nature of ... internalized bias is perhaps the most compelling reason why all architects--especially those that don't think that gender equity affects them--ought to examine this issue in greater depth to see if they may unwittingly be taking part. Many architects strive to create socially-minded physical places that encourage access for all. It's imperative to ensure that the same kind of equity is being built into the profession itself."--Elsa Lam, Canadian Architect "[A] concise, highly readable book... The first chapter, in essence a history of women in architecture, gives an illuminating and detailed account of events in the US."--Flora Samuel, Times Higher Education "An important contribution to the discussion of gender and equity in architecture, Where Are the Women Architects? advances a deeper agenda: to document the swell of grassroots and institutional efforts to promote women in architecture and to mobilize new initiatives... What if it became required reading for introductory survey courses on architectural history and theory? [Stratigakos'] call to action--that equity is everyone's issue--is urgent, and it is up to all of us to pick up the charge."--Caroline James, ArchitectureBoston "In 2015, when Britain's Architecture Journal asked its readers whether they would encourage a woman to enter the profession only half said yes. Despina Stratigakos' compact book replies to this impasse and in doing so, it offers moments of despair and delight in rendering the place of women within the practice and culture of architecture... Stratigakos' provocations render this a valuable read. In fields beyond architecture too, where the loss of women eliminates a 'large and vital art of talent pool' to the detriment of both a discipline but also more broadly the community it serves by not being reflective of its make up. Perhaps in wrestling with these questions we might illuminate a path towards more sustainable forms of practice, for all practitioners--women or men."--Kerstin Thompson, Sydney Morning Herald "Reviewing criticism of women architects from each historical period and citing surveys from architects, for the most part conducted over the last decade, Stratigakos challenges stereotyp

Despina Stratigakos is associate professor and interim chair of architecture at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. She is the author of Hitler at Home and A Woman's Berlin: Building the Modern City.

Acknowledgments ix Introduction: Where Are the Women Architects? 1 1. May Women Practice Architecture? The First Century of Debate 5 2. The Sad State of Gender Equity in the Architectural Profession 21 3. What I Learned from Architect Barbie 38 4. Architecture Prizes and the Boys' Club 50 5. Unforgetting Women Architects: A Confrontation with History and Wikipedia 65 Conclusion: Looking Back, Moving Forward 77 Notes 83 Bibliography 97 Index 110 Photo Credits 115