Source: The Conversation – UK
It’s been more than 20 years since the Royal Institute of British Architects (Riba) and the the Fawcett Society published a landmark 2003 study, Why Do Women Leave Architecture? And one thing is unmistakably clear: the profession has not moved far enough or fast enough to support women.
Build It Together, commissioned by Riba in 2025, revealed that many of the barriers identified two decades ago remain deeply entrenched. Pay inequality, sexism, exclusionary workplace cultures and damaging expectations about working hours continue to define women’s experiences in architecture.
In April 2026, online architecture magazine Dezeen revealed that, while things had improved at some companies, such as Foster + Partners, the gender pay gap at Zaha Hadid Architects (which rebranded in June 2026 as ZHA) had more than doubled.
The Fawcett Society’s findings were unambiguous. Riba’s national data last reported a mean gender pay gap of 13.81% in 2024. And 83% of women said that having children negatively affected their career progression.
Despite pockets of progress, the findings were stark. Women remain subject to harassment, discriminatory practices and structural inequities that limit career progression. Most women surveyed reported experiencing misogyny or harassment at work; many described patriarchal cultures, opaque pay structures and workplaces that privilege presenteeism over wellbeing.
This article is part of our State of the Arts series. These articles tackle the challenges of the arts and heritage industry – and celebrate the wins, too.
Inequality and architecture
The persistence of inequity across architecture should concern the entire creative sector. These problems are not isolated to architectural practice. They mirror patterns found across the creative and cultural industries, where long hours, low pay, precarious contracts and rigid workplace cultures often make it difficult for women – particularly mothers or caregivers – to sustain long-term careers.
The UK government’s Industrial Strategy identifies the creative and cultural industries as a major driver of economic growth. But if the underlying workplace cultures remain inhospitable to women, it must be asked: what role will women be permitted to play in shaping the future of these industries?
Architecture and interior design practice share many of the same patriarchal workplace structures. These include long, inflexible hours; low pay at early career levels; barriers to promotion; frequent redundancies; and the constant burden of proving oneself in male-dominated spaces. These cultures often fail to account for women’s personal realities – particularly those balancing work with caregiving and child-rearing responsibilities.
Like many women in design, I left the interior design profession as I realised that its structures were incompatible with the demands of family life. I decided to go into academia, where I began researching women’s experiences in design professions. But many women feel the sting of inequality – of not being treated the same as male colleagues – and the absence of equity, where women’s distinct circumstances are recognised and supported.
Why the pipeline keeps leaking
The “leaky pipeline” remains a central problem. Women enter architecture and design programmes in high numbers, but their representation dwindles as careers advance. For example, despite women comprising more than half of architecture students, they account for just 31% of architects registered with the Architects Registration Board (ARB) and only 24.6% of RIBA Chartered Members.
The message is clear: the industry loses women long before they reach leadership roles. When the creative professions reward visibility, availability and endurance – rather than creativity, competence or innovation – it systematically disadvantages women.
Yet the story is not solely one of stagnation. The Build It Together report highlighted examples of positive change: practices adopting flexible and hybrid working models; greater transparency in pay and promotion pathways; and the growth of grassroots networks such as Women in Architecture.
My own research into the interior design sector also shows encouraging trends. More women enter design education in subjects relating to the built environment, more women lead practices, and a growing number adopt transformational leadership styles that prioritise inclusivity, collaboration and empathy. These women are actively reshaping workplace cultures – models that could become the foundation for broader structural reform.
If the creative industries are to flourish, systemic change is essential and organisational policies alone are not enough. What is required is a cultural transformation, which sees policies embedded in everyday practice – not just in architecture, but across the creative and cultural industries.
The profession must adopt universal, transparent EDI policies, ensuring staff involvement and accessibility for all. Sector-wide reforms such as best-practice maternity policies and robust diversity monitoring should be implemented. Cultural transformation is essential, replacing long hours and presenteeism with healthier, inclusive norms.
Women’s contributions to shaping the creative environment must be fully valued and embedded into professional identity. Strengthened mentoring – especially women supporting women – is vital, with equity-focused structures and strong networks. Women can further drive change by sharing experiences, challenging outdated assumptions and interrogating workplace power dynamics to raise collective consciousness and foster lasting transformation.
If the UK intends to centre the creative industries in future economic strategy, it cannot afford to continue losing female designers, architects, creatives and innovators. The cost of gender inequity is not merely moral, it is economic, social and cultural. The evidence is abundant. The solutions are well understood. What remains is the will to enact change.
Women will continue to be powerful agents of transformation within architecture and across the creative sector. But this is only if the professions take decisive action to dismantle the structural and cultural barriers that have held them back for far too long.
Lynne Mesher does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Original source: https://analysis1.mil-osi.com/2026/10/02/women-in-architecture-the-damaging-workplace-culture-pushing-talented-professionals-out/