PARLOUR: women, equity, architecture
Expanding the spaces for women in Australian architecture
How are women represented in the field of architecture? What kind of work do female architecture graduates undertake? How does the percentage of men in high profile positions compare to that of women? Is there a glass ceiling for women in the built and natural environment?
Through the website PARLOUR: women, equity, architecture, leading academics from University of Melbourne, University of Queensland, University of Sydney and Queensland University of Technology endeavour to stimulate debate, undertake research and produce quantitative and qualitative findings in response to such questions. Parlour is a space to speak - bringing together research, informed opinion and resources; generating debate and discussion; expanding the spaces for women in Australian architecture.
Parlour is curated and edited by Justine Clark, with support from co-editors Naomi Stead, Karen Burns, Sandra Kaji-O’Grady, Julie Willis, Amanda Roan and Gill Matthewson.
The website is an outcome of the Australian Research Council Linkage Grant, 'Equity and Diversity in the Australian Architecture Profession: Women, Work and Leadership.' The research was led by Dr. Naomi Stead, Research Fellow at the University of Queensland, with the assistance of Justine Clarke, Karen Burns and Julie Willis from the University of Melbourne, Sandra Kaji-O'Grady, University of Sydney, Gill Matthewson, Amanda Roan and Gillian Whitehouse from the University of Queensland and Susan Savage from Queensland University of Technology. The research was also supported by industry partners, Australian Institute of Architects, Architecture Media, Bates Smart and PTW Architects.
Parlour website will provide ongoing updates on women, equity and architecture and wants the architecture community to get involved in debate and research on the topic. Take the time to browse through the site and read some interesting opinions and get involved in the debate. For example read Karen Burns' article Who wants to be a woman architect? where she asks; Is the term woman architect pejorative or useful? What tensions are embedded in this phrase? And are single-sex prizes ‘sexist’?
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