In her book Feminist City, geographer Leslie Kern explores how cities are designed from a male-centric perspective, often neglecting the needs and experiences of women and marginalized groups. From transport systems to housing, public bathrooms and pavements, urban infrastructure is far from neutral and often reinforces hierarchies – especially gender. Failure to prioritise well-lit pathways, transport systems built for 9-5 commutes (not multi-stop trips to childcare, supermarkets, work), and suburban layouts that isolate caregivers are just some of the ways the city falls short when it comes to accommodating diverse needs and perspectives.
In partnership with The Architectural Review and Architects’ Journal, the W Programme promotes gender equality, diversity and inclusivity through the built environment. This membership network runs a series of social events, lectures, celebrations and mentoring sessions – one of which is taking place this week at Perseverance Works, hosted by Henley Halebrown.
‘Architecture, constructions and the built environment are male-dominated industries – even within architectural practice,’ says Jennifer Pirie, associate at HHB. ‘There’s a high majority of white men in architecture and the impact of that is that cities are historically designed by men.’
According to the Fawcett Society, as of September 2023, just 31% of architects were women, with a gender pay gap of 16%. But women make up 44% of the accountancy profession, 45% of medicine, and 47% of law.
‘There are really interesting collaborations and partnerships going on now with charities and groups campaigning for equality and diversity in architecture,’ Jennifer explains. ‘The dialogue has become much more active and we think it’s important to be part of it so we’ve partnered with the W Programme to try to diversity the profession. These are open discussions to keep the dialogue going. It’s not about pushing an agenda, but just making sure the conversation stays active.’
The mentoring evening on 7 May will bring together mentors and mentees for confidential, honest and open conversations. Three HHB mentors are taking part -including Jennifer, alongside a Part 1 and Part 2 colleague – and will offer career development advice to mentees from outside their practice.
‘A lot of people will be working with men predominantly, so this offers a really nice opportunity to speak to women,’ Jennifer explains. ‘When I was younger, I worked with a great associate who gave me ideas about how to progress to her level, so it gives a great opportunity for people at different levels to discuss how they ended up where they are.’
You can find out more about the W Programme on their website. To learn more about Leslie Kern’s work on how to reimagine cities through a feminist lens, with care, accessibility and equality at the core, try this video. There’s more about HHB and their award-winning approach to architecture here.