Equity in Design The Hot Topics in Design and Architecture in 2023
By Charlotte Wiederholt
"At my first design job, I was the only female Asian agent," said Susan Orlandi, Principal at DLR Group, San Francisco at the panel. "Now, women have come a long way. Design firms are a mix of lots of females and males. It's pretty much almost fifty-fifty, which is really fantastic." A similar trend has taken place in the architecture industry - although the increase in women architect numbers has been slower than that of designers. It's now estimated that roughly one out of every four professional architects is a woman. Unfortunately - the numbers of women in design and architecture may be growing, but the leadership ratios aren't changing nearly as dramatically. According to a 2022 study of 30 million interior designer participants, 79 percent of all interior designers are women while 21 percent are men. However, in 2021, women still made 98 percent of what men made. Furthermore, research indicates that women only make up 21 percent of the highest-ranking jobs in the 100 largest architecture firms around the globe. Where Do We Go From Here? Tangram Interiors agrees with our panelists that there's still a long way to go, especially when it comes to supporting working mothers and those pursuing leadership opportunities.
This past September 2022 , Tangram Interiors + Studio Other proudly hosted an event at the San Francisco LinkedIn offices called "Equity in Design." This is a part of Tangram's larger event series which aims to bring people together to discuss the current state of equity in architecture and design, as well as other industries. At the San Francisco event, several prominent speakers joined the panel. They shared their views on some of the most interesting, overarching topics affecting modern design careers–especially the opportunities and support provided to women. Here are some of those topics and ignite the continuation of powerful, women-led conversations. Things are changing, but it's crucial that we all play a part in discussing the challenges and evolutions of equality in these fields. 1. More Women Are Present - But Leadership Is Still Male Dominated Since the 1900s, women have made significant strides in the design and architecture industries, quickly closing (and even exceeding) the gap in the workforce. As of 2019, more than 61 percent of designers were women, indicating a positive momentum and a genuine sense of progress. With over half of designers being women, there's an enormous opportunity to spearhead further change for equality in design careers.
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csengineermag.com
JULY 2023
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