A Seat at the Table

Men retain a significant dominance in the architecture sector since female architects occupy only 23% of the workforce in the Netherlands. While women account for 50% of architecture students enrolled in academies and universities, yet their presence in the professional domain is markedly underrepresented. To investigate gender-inequality in the architecture and urban planning sector in Rotterdam and its implications on the purpose of urban design, the following research question is designed: How is gender-inequality in the architectural sector perceived by architects and urban planners operating in Rotterdam? This research is of qualitative nature. Data was gathered through twelve semi-structured interviews with fourteen participants, including partners and founders, associate partners and (senior) urban planners or architects, junior architects, students, and interns. The research showed that, despite progress due to uprising feminism, gender-inequality is present in the workplace of architecture firms in Rotterdam in terms of the gender pay gap, disadvantages in career progression for women, ignoring women, sexism, and misogyny. Gender- inequality flourishes in a patriarchal architectural culture of high masculinity, working overtime, low financial compensation, the Maternal Wall Bias, and a lack of flexibility, appreciation, and trust. Moreover, discriminatory practices targeting international and ethnic groups exacerbate the intersectional challenges faced by female workers from these demographic categories. Nevertheless, change is in progress and new generations of architects by students protesting outdated standards of teachers who normalise this toxic working culture, junior architects refusing overtime and negotiating with management regarding promotions and salaries, and architects advocating a healthy work-life balance and cultural diversity in the office. This is important since architects and urban planners carry the responsibility to ensure social sustainability and improve social capital, which can only be accomplished by designing inclusively. The lack of resources, low salaries and poor working conditions are the cause of a feminine drain and a lack of diversity in the workplace, as women prefer to pursue a profession that maintains a healthy work-life balance, leaving an urban infrastructure based on the male perspective and not on the requirements of women. Since architecture and urban planning firms do not have the financial funds to hire experts regarding economy, sociology, and anthropology, or to realise a participatory design process with urban residents, it would be an economic advantage for management to embrace diversity by means of gender and ethnicities within the offices.