When discussing Brazilian 20th-century modernist architecture, Oscar Niemeyer typically comes to mind first. However, Italian immigrant Lina Bo Bardi deserves equal recognition for developing Italian-style modernism with a distinctly Brazilian flavor in her adopted homeland. Her Teatro Oficina in São Paulo was recently named the world's best theater by a leading publication. Meanwhile, 500 miles away in Exmouth, Devon, stands one of the most fascinating residential buildings ever created: A la Ronde, an unusual 16-sided home designed in 1796 by Jane and Mary Parminter, two unmarried cousins, along with their relative John Lowder.

The Parminter cousins, though not professional architects, drew inspiration from their Grand Tour of Europe—an extraordinary undertaking for women of that era. They were particularly influenced by the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy. Critic Lucinda Lambton described their cottage orné with Byzantine influences as embodying a "magical strangeness that one might dream of only as a child." These examples of female architectural brilliance take on added significance in light of a recent troubling report from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

The RIBA report revealed that blatant sexism continues to drive women out of the architecture profession, stunting their career advancement or discouraging them from entering the field entirely. Dr. Valerie Vaughan-Dick, RIBA's first female CEO in the organization's nearly 200-year history, acknowledged that the report makes for "uncomfortable reading." The study documented widespread sexual harassment, including stalking and groping, a 16% gender pay gap, demanding work hours, and persistent power imbalances throughout the industry.

This damning report comes two decades after a landmark 2003 review that examined the mass exodus of women from architecture. Clearly, the industry has failed to adequately reform itself. While more women now study architecture at the university level, only 31% of architects registered with the Architects Registration Board in 2022 were female, and fewer than a quarter of RIBA chartered members are women. The retention problem has increasingly overshadowed recruitment issues. A 2017 Dezeen survey found that women held just 10% of senior positions at the world's 100 largest architecture firms.

Despite these systemic barriers, numerous female architects have created extraordinary works that stand among the finest in contemporary architecture. Japanese architect Kazuyo Sejima designs confident yet mercurial buildings that mirror their natural surroundings—aluminum surfaces that sparkle in bright sunlight and shimmer in rain. Her 2009 Serpentine Gallery pavilion, created with Ryue Nishizawa, appeared as a reflective cloud that seamlessly integrated with London's Hyde Park. Niger-born architect Mariam Issoufou works with sustainable local materials including compressed earth bricks, rubber wood, and palm leaves to create impressive libraries and housing developments in her home country and beyond.

American architect Liz Diller has gained recognition for her community-focused, accessible designs. Her greatest achievement may be New York's enormously popular High Line, a 1.2-mile elevated linear park built along an abandoned freight railway. Her Broad Museum in Los Angeles successfully holds its own across the street from Frank Gehry's more famous Walt Disney Concert Hall, demonstrating that female architects can compete with the industry's biggest names.

Architecture has long been considered one of the most male-dominated and misogynistic professional fields. This stems partly from outdated stereotypes suggesting that mathematics is primarily for boys or that women are only suited for interior decorating. These prejudices manifest in daily practice through improperly sized personal protective equipment on construction sites, exclusive male social networks, and business emails that begin with "Dear Gentlemen." The late Zaha Hadid, widely regarded as one of the past 30 years' greatest architects, once explained: "I am not part of this boys' network—there are places men can go and women can't, like those gentlemen's clubs, or guys asking each other to play golf."

Historically, buildings have been designed by and for men, reflecting masculine preferences and assumptions. Le Corbusier's famous Unité d'habitation, despite its stunning design, was based on his "Modulor Man"—an idealized figure inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man but specifically modeled on a six-foot British policeman, despite Le Corbusier never constructing buildings in Britain. This imaginary police officer determined everything from door handle heights to staircase dimensions, effectively excluding women and shorter individuals from optimal building functionality.

Building design has traditionally emphasized supposedly masculine qualities: hard steel, austere wood paneling, and the raw concrete of Brutalist architecture. The most obvious example is phallic skyscrapers, which far outnumber more organic designs. Zaha Hadid's football stadium in Qatar was mockingly compared to female anatomy, though she disagreed with the characterization. Ironically, a stadium in the same country designed by Albert Speer Jr. bears similar resemblance to female forms.

Popular culture reinforces architecture's hyper-masculine image through characters like the brooding Adrien Brody in the three-hour epic "The Brutalist" or Howard Roark from Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead." Roark epitomizes the egotistical "starchitect" or "bro-chitect" stereotype, thinking thoughts like: "These rocks are here for me: waiting for the drill, the dynamite and my voice; waiting to be split, ripped, pounded, reborn; waiting for the shape my hands will give them."

However, the assumption that unadorned concrete or clean lines are inherently masculine is overly simplistic. Denys Lasdun ranks among the finest architects not because structural clarity represents male rationality, nor does Mies van der Rohe's gorgeous work evoke masculine physiques. Similarly, while Oscar Niemeyer claimed his fluid curves were inspired by "the body of the beloved woman," a real woman with such proportions would likely topple over. Hadid, often called "the queen of the curve," saw her designs compared to female forms despite frequently citing abstract artist Kazimir Malevich as her primary influence, not curvaceous cartoon characters.

The gender of architects matters beyond simple equity concerns. More women in the profession means buildings and urban environments increasingly reflect women's lived experiences, regardless of architectural style. During the 1980s, women in the London-based activist collective Matrix, frustrated by struggling with baby strollers on steps and rushing through poorly lit underpasses, successfully campaigned for cityscapes more attuned to how women actually navigate urban spaces.

While childcare, shopping, and domestic responsibilities shouldn't fall exclusively to women, these inequities currently exist and should be acknowledged in architectural planning. The same consideration should extend to older adults, people with disabilities, and those with neurodivergent needs. Research demonstrates that companies with greater gender diversity on boards typically generate higher profits. In architecture specifically, industry discussions suggest women's key strengths include more collaborative and inclusive work styles and more effective client communication.

Historically, even when female and non-binary architects made foundational contributions to acclaimed projects, their input was often overlooked or erased. Two of Britain's most recognized architects, Norman Foster and Richard Rogers, began their careers with a firm co-established in 1963 alongside three women. One of these women was the group's only licensed architect at the time, making her the sole reason the firm could legally practice. Yet few people know the names Georgie Wolton, Su Brumwell, and Wendy Cheesman, or their assistant Sally Appleby.

Frank Lloyd Wright, one of the world's most celebrated architects who created multiple masterpiece homes, relied heavily on his first employee, Marion Mahony Griffin, for developing the Prairie School style. Half of the lithographs in Lloyd Wright's influential Wasmuth Portfolio were actually created by Mahony Griffin, despite Lloyd Wright's attempts to claim full credit. Eileen Gray's iconic E-1027 house on the French Riviera, filled with her original and innovative furniture designs, was allowed to fall into disrepair—but not before Le Corbusier himself vandalized it with his own murals.

In 2013, a petition unsuccessfully attempted to have Denise Scott Brown retroactively awarded the Pritzker Prize, architecture's highest honor. The prize had been awarded solely to her husband Robert Venturi in 1991, despite Scott Brown serving as co-principal at their practice for 22 years. Only six women have won the Pritzker Prize in its entire history, including Sejima and Hadid. Many people still incorrectly assume that both members of the famous Eames design duo were men, when Ray Eames was actually a woman who contributed equally to their groundbreaking furniture and architectural designs.

The number of women in architecture must improve not only to properly credit the aesthetic creativity and beauty of their designs, but also to address the real-life needs of half the human population. The gradual cultural shift within the field toward greater teamwork, improved client dialogue, and increased inclusivity demonstrates the importance of more women following in the footsteps of trailblazers like Norma Merrick Sklarek. Women are advancing in other workplaces through flexible and remote work options, mentorship programs, hiring reforms, and evolving networking practices. The architecture profession must build upon these successful strategies to create a more equitable and effective industry for everyone.