Women in the workplace

RIBA focuses on the lived experience of women in the workplace, fostering a positive culture of organisational support, working toward achieving gender parity, gender balance and supporting carers and those with unpaid caring responsibilities. Explore our women in the workplace resources below.

• RIBA celebrates Women's History Month, March 2022
  Throughout March we celebrated the major contribution women make to architecture and reflecting on our progress in addressing the structural barriers that perpetuate gender inequality.
  
  
• Menopause and work
  Raising awareness on this topic and reducing the stigma attached to it is vital so that open discussions can take place and inform the development of effective guidance and resources.
  
  
• Talking about gender pronouns in the workplace
  In celebration of Pride Month 2021, RIBA called for an open discussion about gender pronouns across the profession.
  
  
• Take the lead on inclusivity by Angela Dapper (Grimshaw), April 2021 (Article exclusive to RIBA Members)
• Open mic: the Menopause
  The first of a series of online conversations about the menopause, discussing the symptoms, available support, and stigma.
  
  
• RIBA celebrates International Women's Day, March 2021
  Find out more about our International Women’s Day 2021 celebrations.
  
  
• Gender pay gap guidance
  As part of our commitment to support a diverse and inclusive profession, we have published guidance for architecture practices on closing the gender pay gap.
  
  
• RIBA Collections research guide: Women in architecture
  Take a look at our women in architecture RIBA Collections guide.
  
  
• A dwelling of her own: Housing for single, working women in the 20th century
  Working women weren’t a new phenomenon; many British women had been factory workers, teachers, and domestic servants throughout the 19th century, and many more worked within their own homes. Read about housing for single, working women in the 20th century.
  
  
• Pioneers then and now
  Jane Drew, Pat Tindale, Elaine Denby and Rosemary Stjernstedt reflect upon their careers as women architects.
  
  
• Revisiting the Collections: The Forgotten Women
  Sarah Ackland of Part W calls for collections like RIBA’s to do more to proactively address the under-representation of women architects from architectural archives

Women in Architecture UK's Architect Mothers, Fathers, Parents, Community Event with RIBA and RIBA's Balance Community, May 2023

This is the first event of the ‘Architects Mothers, Fathers and Parents Community’ by WIA UK at RIBA.

WIA RIBA WORKING PARENTS EVENT (Credit: Lawrence Barraclough, You See Media on Vimeo).

RIBA Books:

Thrive by Sumita Singha

100 Women by Harriet Harriss, Monika Parrinder, Naomi House and Tom Ravenscroft

A Gendered Profession by James Benedict Brown, Harriet Harriss, Ruth Morrow and James

Design your Life by Claire Nash