An invitation to the 53rd Edge debate
Construction needs Women, because ......
6.30 pm, Thursday 31st January 2013
Danish Embassy, Sloane Street, SW1X 9SR
Saturday 29 December 2012
Monday 26 November 2012
Glass Ceilings...
...they came up as a discussion point at our last get-together. We wondered what did the term actually mean?
Then some of us wondered...was that what was happening when our male contemporaries got the more prestigious jobs? or when firms, apparently pro-women in terms of maternity rights and flexible time, still have all male management?
Women have been high profile in the media recently - Romney and Obama were battling for their votes in the American election and the news is good on the number of women moving onto the boards of FTSE100 companies. The government knows it has to keep women working if it is to recharge the economy but the cost of childcare is proving a disincentive to many (The Observer, 27th October 2012). According to the Observer, "The problem of how to get more women into work is now seen by
politicians of all parties as a key economic and social challenge – the
way to increase social mobility and living standards, tackle poverty,
boost the economy and reduce the benefits bill for taxpayers."
The question of glass ceilings is more about keeping women in work than getting them there in the first place. More precisely, it is an unnervingly neutral metaphor for whatever it is that keeps women out of influential, decision-making positions in their field. (Why is it glass? Isn't it just a ceiling?)
There are studies looking at the issues in our industry in particular - I will try to work out how to make the pdfs available via this blog - but the advantage of a local group like CWiC is that we can get more personal than this. These are my thoughts, my observations and my experiences. I don't pretend to speak for anyone else but I would very much like to know others' thoughts and experiences because I think that is the only way to get a fair point of view.
I read recently that the number of women and men in positions of power is unbalanced because women think there's more to life, and that they are right. I think there may be some truth to this but there’s condescension in it too: ahh Woman, see the depth of experience and joy of living you have from all your non-work activities, YOU are the truly wealthy one. I have only money, status and the respect of my colleagues.
Does career progression mean the exclusion of “more to life” only because that’s the way men have always done it? Let’s risk a generalization: men are competitive, women are cooperative. Men have shaped the business world, the money making and the indicators of success. All these, in the west anyway, contain an element of competition. At a critical point in her career, if a woman chooses an inclusive approach, is she sabotaging her chances of promotion?
I work closely with my male boss and over the years the boundaries of who does what have become blurred. It can be a good partnership, I’m able to take decisions when he is away, we share ideas and he values my opinion. We sit near each other and I find it natural to run decisions past him or double check a response before firing off an email. Not every time, you understand. Sometimes I do it because saying something out loud helps firm things up in my own mind, sometimes because I want him to be aware of it (since he is ultimately responsible) and sometimes I do it simply to make him feel in the loop. The trouble is, I am beginning to think this may be being misinterpreted as insecurity and/or lack of knowledge on my part. Could it be a reason for not giving me more responsibility or a pay rise? Then I find myself questioning whether I am, in fact, able to make those decisions on my own: the ‘internal glass ceiling’ shimmers into view.
Such insecurities and self doubts are not universally or exclusively female responses, but maybe this is where the ‘more to life’ bit kicks in: because my response is to look outwards, away from work, to get my confidence back. I’m big on ‘reinvention’, not as big on it as Madonna is, but heading that way. I reassess, take a course, go on a fitness binge, plan a trip, contact old friends, re-plan the house, flirt with the idea of turning my hobby into my work and have a haircut. I take my foot off the pedal at work and tell myself I’m worth it (l’Oreal have got me sussed). Listening to fellow CWiC members talking and introducing themselves I realised some degree of reinvention is a common theme to many women. The most obvious one, I suppose, would be the role of mother but sometimes a relocation or a change in finances mean women trained in one line of work, turn to another.
At our get-together we talked about how our strengths were strengthened through these changes. There was an unspoken respect and understanding for this diversity of experience even if this meant a woman had spent less time doing one job and therefore not risen to the top of it. Achievement wasn’t being measured by salary, influence and status but by survival, inventiveness and tenacity. There wasn’t a ceiling because we were moving outwards not upwards.
Can we translate those values into the wider business world? Or are we in a catch22 situation because we have to get through the glass ceiling to do it? I really believe there are different ways of doing business and I know there are men exploring these as well as women. Cooperation is a buzzword – Britain has a coalition government which, to everyone’s surprise, looks like it will go the distance. In America the Republicans and Democrats have forced themselves to work together or face their ‘fiscal cliff’ and, whatever your view, the European Union keeps talking, keeps grappling with solutions for the good of the group, as well as the individual. In the construction world there are our own examples with the move to the collaborative NEC contract and talks of B.I.M and 3D model sharing. Fans of competition must just find it all too fuzzy and indistinct. How can both sides claim victory? What respect can you command for compromise? Who’s best? If we can get the answers to these into our business psyche then we will have new ways of judging, and valuing, success. Then, if we keep working like that, maybe ceilings (glass or otherwise) will be irrelevant.
Then some of us wondered...was that what was happening when our male contemporaries got the more prestigious jobs? or when firms, apparently pro-women in terms of maternity rights and flexible time, still have all male management?
The question of glass ceilings is more about keeping women in work than getting them there in the first place. More precisely, it is an unnervingly neutral metaphor for whatever it is that keeps women out of influential, decision-making positions in their field. (Why is it glass? Isn't it just a ceiling?)
There are studies looking at the issues in our industry in particular - I will try to work out how to make the pdfs available via this blog - but the advantage of a local group like CWiC is that we can get more personal than this. These are my thoughts, my observations and my experiences. I don't pretend to speak for anyone else but I would very much like to know others' thoughts and experiences because I think that is the only way to get a fair point of view.
I read recently that the number of women and men in positions of power is unbalanced because women think there's more to life, and that they are right. I think there may be some truth to this but there’s condescension in it too: ahh Woman, see the depth of experience and joy of living you have from all your non-work activities, YOU are the truly wealthy one. I have only money, status and the respect of my colleagues.
Does career progression mean the exclusion of “more to life” only because that’s the way men have always done it? Let’s risk a generalization: men are competitive, women are cooperative. Men have shaped the business world, the money making and the indicators of success. All these, in the west anyway, contain an element of competition. At a critical point in her career, if a woman chooses an inclusive approach, is she sabotaging her chances of promotion?
I work closely with my male boss and over the years the boundaries of who does what have become blurred. It can be a good partnership, I’m able to take decisions when he is away, we share ideas and he values my opinion. We sit near each other and I find it natural to run decisions past him or double check a response before firing off an email. Not every time, you understand. Sometimes I do it because saying something out loud helps firm things up in my own mind, sometimes because I want him to be aware of it (since he is ultimately responsible) and sometimes I do it simply to make him feel in the loop. The trouble is, I am beginning to think this may be being misinterpreted as insecurity and/or lack of knowledge on my part. Could it be a reason for not giving me more responsibility or a pay rise? Then I find myself questioning whether I am, in fact, able to make those decisions on my own: the ‘internal glass ceiling’ shimmers into view.
Such insecurities and self doubts are not universally or exclusively female responses, but maybe this is where the ‘more to life’ bit kicks in: because my response is to look outwards, away from work, to get my confidence back. I’m big on ‘reinvention’, not as big on it as Madonna is, but heading that way. I reassess, take a course, go on a fitness binge, plan a trip, contact old friends, re-plan the house, flirt with the idea of turning my hobby into my work and have a haircut. I take my foot off the pedal at work and tell myself I’m worth it (l’Oreal have got me sussed). Listening to fellow CWiC members talking and introducing themselves I realised some degree of reinvention is a common theme to many women. The most obvious one, I suppose, would be the role of mother but sometimes a relocation or a change in finances mean women trained in one line of work, turn to another.
At our get-together we talked about how our strengths were strengthened through these changes. There was an unspoken respect and understanding for this diversity of experience even if this meant a woman had spent less time doing one job and therefore not risen to the top of it. Achievement wasn’t being measured by salary, influence and status but by survival, inventiveness and tenacity. There wasn’t a ceiling because we were moving outwards not upwards.
Can we translate those values into the wider business world? Or are we in a catch22 situation because we have to get through the glass ceiling to do it? I really believe there are different ways of doing business and I know there are men exploring these as well as women. Cooperation is a buzzword – Britain has a coalition government which, to everyone’s surprise, looks like it will go the distance. In America the Republicans and Democrats have forced themselves to work together or face their ‘fiscal cliff’ and, whatever your view, the European Union keeps talking, keeps grappling with solutions for the good of the group, as well as the individual. In the construction world there are our own examples with the move to the collaborative NEC contract and talks of B.I.M and 3D model sharing. Fans of competition must just find it all too fuzzy and indistinct. How can both sides claim victory? What respect can you command for compromise? Who’s best? If we can get the answers to these into our business psyche then we will have new ways of judging, and valuing, success. Then, if we keep working like that, maybe ceilings (glass or otherwise) will be irrelevant.
Monday 22 October 2012
CWiC Breakfast Network
Hooray! Everytime we get together there is a buzz! So much so, I forgot to take any photos - so here's a tempting cup of coffee courtesy of Flickr
On a grizzly-grey Saturday morning 13 of us made it to a cafe in Cambridge - some of us had met before, some of us worked together, some were new both to CWiC and the construction industry in Cambridge. I also had lots of apologies as last minute changes kept people away and it is exciting to think how many we might be as the group progresses.
Each person gave a short introduction to themselves and even as we progressed round the room the threads of common concerns, activities and attitudes could be drawn between people.
The conversations were bursting to get out even before we had completed our introduction...
...I agree that things have improved for women since I started work...
...How do you deal with a contractor you feel is bullying you?...
...male contemporaries being taken more seriously than you?...
...How do you charge for you work?...
After that there was no holding people back and the room hummed with energetic conversation until 12.
Thank you to everyone who came and to everyone who wanted to come - your support carries CWiC on and we have great plans for 2013.
On a grizzly-grey Saturday morning 13 of us made it to a cafe in Cambridge - some of us had met before, some of us worked together, some were new both to CWiC and the construction industry in Cambridge. I also had lots of apologies as last minute changes kept people away and it is exciting to think how many we might be as the group progresses.
Each person gave a short introduction to themselves and even as we progressed round the room the threads of common concerns, activities and attitudes could be drawn between people.
The conversations were bursting to get out even before we had completed our introduction...
...I agree that things have improved for women since I started work...
...How do you deal with a contractor you feel is bullying you?...
...male contemporaries being taken more seriously than you?...
...How do you charge for you work?...
After that there was no holding people back and the room hummed with energetic conversation until 12.
Thank you to everyone who came and to everyone who wanted to come - your support carries CWiC on and we have great plans for 2013.
Friday 19 October 2012
Tuesday 9 October 2012
Coffee, Croissants and Catch Up
I realise I've been a bit quiet over the summer but I'm resurfacing from a mad period of work and hitting Autumn with a vengeance...starting with the
CWiC Breakfast Meet up
which will be held upstairs in the
Cafe Rouge, Bridge Street, Cambridge on Saturday, 20th October.
10am - 12 noon.
I'll start with a quick (CWiC) update and then we shall kick off with 3 minute (or there abouts) introductions / elevator pitches to tell people who you are, what you do and what makes you special - or anything you like really . All are welcome and if you'd rather save your introduction for another time that's absolutely fine - we'll have plenty of catch-up and chat time too.
The Cafe Rouge have a full breakfast menu and also do a hot drink and cake deal - your choice and you can pay separately.
Separate to food and drink I'd like to ask for a contribution of £5 per person towards the organising / room booking of this, and future events. The response to CWiC continues to be very positive and I am looking into setting up an online forum and directory to build on the momentum of the group so far.
btw - this event is still open to all local women working in and around the construction industry so please pass the invitation round to others you think might be interested.
Really looking forward to seeing you there!
CWiC Breakfast Meet up
which will be held upstairs in the
Cafe Rouge, Bridge Street, Cambridge on Saturday, 20th October.
10am - 12 noon.
I'll start with a quick (CWiC) update and then we shall kick off with 3 minute (or there abouts) introductions / elevator pitches to tell people who you are, what you do and what makes you special - or anything you like really . All are welcome and if you'd rather save your introduction for another time that's absolutely fine - we'll have plenty of catch-up and chat time too.
The Cafe Rouge have a full breakfast menu and also do a hot drink and cake deal - your choice and you can pay separately.
Separate to food and drink I'd like to ask for a contribution of £5 per person towards the organising / room booking of this, and future events. The response to CWiC continues to be very positive and I am looking into setting up an online forum and directory to build on the momentum of the group so far.
btw - this event is still open to all local women working in and around the construction industry so please pass the invitation round to others you think might be interested.
Really looking forward to seeing you there!
Monday 2 July 2012
Inspiring Children
I just registered (both as myself and as CWiC Coordinator) on the government's 'Inspiring the Future' website. They are appealing for professionals to go into schools and talk about their work. Seems like a great opportunity to raise the profile of women in construction and show girls the full range of their career options. If I get some contact maybe we can do something as a group and talk about how we work together. Love it.
Thursday 28 June 2012
life ... drawing ...
A longer break than normal - apologies.
A good holiday eventually brings self-reflection. Often it is fleeting, a whiff of something as distant as your regular life is as you walk on the beach that you'll never walk on again. Sometimes it doesn't form itself into anything recognisable until you are back and even then it can be crowded out by the mayhem of 'normality'. How ever intangible, it is usually enough to put a little perspective on the things you do. It settles a moment into a period in your life. It sharpens now and slows time a beat. It is calming and refreshing.
People talk about doing something that scares you, about widening your comfort zone. What are you avoiding in life? What skills do you think you will just never have? What happens when you draw with your left hand but write with your right? What happens when you draw with both hands? What do you hands express that words can't? What do you see when you look at another person's naked body?
For the journey, the reflection, the relaxation and the perspective, and cheaper than a holiday, try Life Drawing...
Tuesday 5 June 2012
Bank Holiday musings
It's Jubilee weekend and we are preparing for our street party - I had grand ideas of union flag icing on cup cakes but the cakes all sank (why do I never follow a recipe properly?) and I resorted to blue (and purple) smarties and glace cherries on some of co-op's best mini-cakes.
In the news they often talk about the economic cost of an extra bank holiday - the BBC give their take on it here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18277486
Personally I'd always thought the extra leisure spend would make up for a day's work but my principal project - a £3million refurbishment/development in the centre of Cambridge - will struggle to make a meaningful start this week and as usual, every second counts. We had a celebratory dinner with client, user, builder and consultants last week - 2 women, 16 men. It was a good idea and I made a point of talking about development, the Olympics and procurement and NOT: my dilemma about what to wear, worries about the project and my garden. It was good practise although I needn't have worried: a couple of the blokes had had a similar wardrobe dilemma, one had no clue what I meant when I talked about 'BIM' and there were plenty of personal anecdotes going round.
I took the opportunity of telling a few men they needed to employ more women too. Recent research into the advantages for companies of having more women in their management team is getting quoted a lot - the pdf "Women on Boards" is available here: http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/business-law/docs/w/11-745-women-on-boards.pdf - even if that's the only thing you mention, give it a go. The evidence that women are good for business is clear and the more it gets talked about the better the prospects for all of us. Happy Bank Holiday!
 |
| cake cheat |
Personally I'd always thought the extra leisure spend would make up for a day's work but my principal project - a £3million refurbishment/development in the centre of Cambridge - will struggle to make a meaningful start this week and as usual, every second counts. We had a celebratory dinner with client, user, builder and consultants last week - 2 women, 16 men. It was a good idea and I made a point of talking about development, the Olympics and procurement and NOT: my dilemma about what to wear, worries about the project and my garden. It was good practise although I needn't have worried: a couple of the blokes had had a similar wardrobe dilemma, one had no clue what I meant when I talked about 'BIM' and there were plenty of personal anecdotes going round.
I took the opportunity of telling a few men they needed to employ more women too. Recent research into the advantages for companies of having more women in their management team is getting quoted a lot - the pdf "Women on Boards" is available here: http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/business-law/docs/w/11-745-women-on-boards.pdf - even if that's the only thing you mention, give it a go. The evidence that women are good for business is clear and the more it gets talked about the better the prospects for all of us. Happy Bank Holiday!
Monday 28 May 2012
It's another sunny day and it's a challenge to be productive...
alternatively - have a think who would be a good sponsor for the next CWiC Event and email me!
cwic.contact@gmail.com
I am planning a meet-up/networking cafe with tables available for individuals to promote their company and services, opportunities to practice your elevator pitch and hopefully a special guest.
All suggestions welcomed!
Monday 21 May 2012
letter to the AJ editor
Dear Christine,
I have been thinking about your challenge - "what should we do next?" . It wasn't easy! However, a couple of things that I am involved in has led me to think how good it would be if the AJ shone a torch on the discrepancy between the skills architects are taught when studying and the skills they need when they start work. I wonder if it might be a factor in the fall off of women in architecture.
Nearly all the women at the RIBA's Female Power evening talked about architecture as collaboration, inviting consideration, adapting and relating. Alison Brooks felt that the old model of modernism as singular, authoritarian and static had passed. I have been researching the application of "BIM" to projects and considering how we can incorporate the approach, software and skills into our practice in order to remain competitive. I find it fascinating and there are many things I could say about it but in this context the thing that really stood out to me was its embodiment of collaboration. The second thing was organising a networking/marketing workshop for Cambridge Women in Construction. This focused on the idea of an 'elevator pitch' - deciding what's special or memorable about you, your skills, what you offer and why it's good. We were taught ways to remember people's names, ways to enter a conversation and ways to leave it. To many of us it highlighted the need to be direct, succinct, unapologetic and positive.
In my experience, architecture schools spend the majority of time teaching how to design and then how to present and defend the design. Do they still do this? I completed a part time part 2 in 2008 and we were still doing it then. In practice, the buildings we build come out of a process of presentation, negotiation, collaboration and compromise. Women should, by reputation, be good at this. However, even for an experienced woman architect, a room full of suited male consultants / contractors/ clients can be intimidating and just summoning the energy to go round the room shaking hands at the end of a challenging meeting can be difficult.
Could/should the structure of teaching architecture be changed to reflect a collaborative approach, not just to design, but to work as a whole? Would/could it help the men and particularly women joining the profession? Would 'architecture' or 'design' suffer? It would be fascinating to hear the arguments.
Meanwhile, we will continue to run CWiC training events that cover some of the skills mentioned and find as many ways as we can to support the women already working in construction.
Best regards,
Jo
I have been thinking about your challenge - "what should we do next?" . It wasn't easy! However, a couple of things that I am involved in has led me to think how good it would be if the AJ shone a torch on the discrepancy between the skills architects are taught when studying and the skills they need when they start work. I wonder if it might be a factor in the fall off of women in architecture.
Nearly all the women at the RIBA's Female Power evening talked about architecture as collaboration, inviting consideration, adapting and relating. Alison Brooks felt that the old model of modernism as singular, authoritarian and static had passed. I have been researching the application of "BIM" to projects and considering how we can incorporate the approach, software and skills into our practice in order to remain competitive. I find it fascinating and there are many things I could say about it but in this context the thing that really stood out to me was its embodiment of collaboration. The second thing was organising a networking/marketing workshop for Cambridge Women in Construction. This focused on the idea of an 'elevator pitch' - deciding what's special or memorable about you, your skills, what you offer and why it's good. We were taught ways to remember people's names, ways to enter a conversation and ways to leave it. To many of us it highlighted the need to be direct, succinct, unapologetic and positive.
In my experience, architecture schools spend the majority of time teaching how to design and then how to present and defend the design. Do they still do this? I completed a part time part 2 in 2008 and we were still doing it then. In practice, the buildings we build come out of a process of presentation, negotiation, collaboration and compromise. Women should, by reputation, be good at this. However, even for an experienced woman architect, a room full of suited male consultants / contractors/ clients can be intimidating and just summoning the energy to go round the room shaking hands at the end of a challenging meeting can be difficult.
Could/should the structure of teaching architecture be changed to reflect a collaborative approach, not just to design, but to work as a whole? Would/could it help the men and particularly women joining the profession? Would 'architecture' or 'design' suffer? It would be fascinating to hear the arguments.
Meanwhile, we will continue to run CWiC training events that cover some of the skills mentioned and find as many ways as we can to support the women already working in construction.
Best regards,
Jo
Thursday 17 May 2012
Top Twitter!
I braved a longer look around on Twitter last night and signed up to all sorts of construction organisations to 'follow' them. Everybody's there ! It's like a party where lots of the conversation is just "knowing you, knowing me" stuff but every now and again you find something or someone useful.
I got especially excited when I spotted this article: http://tinyurl.com/c4n3cp7 ,mainly because I found it so quickly, it was relevant and most importantly: I knew it to be current. When I trawl through google looking for articles on women in construction a lot of what I find is old news.
Anyway - have a quick look at the article, it's highlighting again the under-representation of women in the construction industry across professions and on site. They quote Chrissi McCarthy who is a great woman I've been in touch with and runs a company called "Constructing Equality" up in Liverpool.
There's also a reference to women feeling unwelcome on site. I've personally never felt this but would be really interested to hear your thoughts.
I got especially excited when I spotted this article: http://tinyurl.com/c4n3cp7 ,mainly because I found it so quickly, it was relevant and most importantly: I knew it to be current. When I trawl through google looking for articles on women in construction a lot of what I find is old news.
Anyway - have a quick look at the article, it's highlighting again the under-representation of women in the construction industry across professions and on site. They quote Chrissi McCarthy who is a great woman I've been in touch with and runs a company called "Constructing Equality" up in Liverpool.
There's also a reference to women feeling unwelcome on site. I've personally never felt this but would be really interested to hear your thoughts.
Wednesday 16 May 2012
A great confidence boosting night!
I'm very happy to report that last night's second ever CWiC event - Smart Networking Workshop - was a real success. Thanks to Nadia Cenci's intensive coaching 16 of us learnt tricks for remembering people's names, practised presenting ourselves and explored the use of social networking media.
It's interesting to think how we all market ourselves in some way even if we don't think we are in the business of looking for business. The radio programme "Digital Human" has a good take on this. Many of what we learnt last night could be applied to different parts of life - getting a new job, a promotion, developing expertise or just feeling better about what you do.
These are the main things I took away from it:
 |
| Cambridge Women in Construction in action |
 |
| How to do a great 'elevator pitch' |
These are the main things I took away from it:
- have a niche and be specific, that way when you introduce yourself to someone they'll remember you as the one who does 'x' not just another 'whatever'
- you can connect with people through other people, hmm, sounds obvious now I write it - but for example, if you want to work with rich footballers find out who they hang out with and target them instead
- have your card somewhere accessible and not in the depths of your handbag
- don't be afraid of social media - cwic_tweet coming soon to a #hashtag near you!!!
Monday 14 May 2012
Greetings and goodbyes
This might be something we touch on at the networking workshop tomorrow evening but I had a funny moment as I left a meeting with 4 male contractors...last week - none of them offered to shake my hand as I left. It felt ok, but odd at the same time.
A quick google on Shaking Hands and it becomes clear that, although the action is a reasonably universal greeting, it is also charged with cultural overtones. Not shaking someone's hand - such as in a recent football controversy - can be a deliberate insult, yet some religions have definite views on shaking hands between men and women and presenting a hand can cause awkwardness. Women don't tend to shake each other's hands when they meet each other whereas men do. Consequently, in a business situation, some men must feel a bit unsure and wait for your lead. The whole thing struck me as a subtle male/female difference that sort of gets in the way. Normally I would probably have taken the initiative anyway and gone round one by one shaking hands and saying bye. On that occasion I felt bamboozled by the meeting and I didn't have any 'umph' left to do it.
The thing is, shaking hands is a good full stop:
A quick google on Shaking Hands and it becomes clear that, although the action is a reasonably universal greeting, it is also charged with cultural overtones. Not shaking someone's hand - such as in a recent football controversy - can be a deliberate insult, yet some religions have definite views on shaking hands between men and women and presenting a hand can cause awkwardness. Women don't tend to shake each other's hands when they meet each other whereas men do. Consequently, in a business situation, some men must feel a bit unsure and wait for your lead. The whole thing struck me as a subtle male/female difference that sort of gets in the way. Normally I would probably have taken the initiative anyway and gone round one by one shaking hands and saying bye. On that occasion I felt bamboozled by the meeting and I didn't have any 'umph' left to do it.
The thing is, shaking hands is a good full stop:
"anyway, got to hit the A14,"
"yes, thanks, I'll send you that email"
shake hands
"ok, see you"
"cheerio"
leave
without it I found myself waving limply from the door and feeling just a bit pathetic.
fast forward to Christmas drinks and there's the other dilemma of 'air kissing' or 'cheek rubbing' - you know what I mean - now how does THAT work??!!
Thursday 3 May 2012
Workshop booking
SMART NETWORKING WORKSHOP
BOOK YOUR PLACE NOW
HERE
TUESDAY 15TH MAY, 6PM-8PM
CAMBRIDGE
Tuesday 1 May 2012
What shall we do next?
Oo oo, slightly over excited about reply from AJ editor Christine Murray after I wrote telling her about Cambridge Women in Construction and linking her to the RIBA talk write-up on the blog...
Dear Jo,
Well
done you! It’s so much easier to get things going in a media
organisation – after all, I have a weekly title to nag everyone with.
Very impressed with
the CWiC. If we can do anything to support your work let me know.
Perhaps we could publish your letter inviting people to join your group?
Your
blog post captured the evening perfectly. I share your frustration at
the lack of debate after the event, and with being whisked off to
dinner. I actually
did stick around to chat to some students and other women downstairs,
but the RIBA minders kept telling me I had to stop chatting as I was
holding up the speakers’ dinner! I certainly would have let the
discussion run, but it wasn’t my show.
What do you think we should do next?
Very best
Christine
---
Christine Murray
Editor
The Architects' Journal
Greater London House
Hampstead Road
London NW1 7EJ
(p) 020 7728 4573
(m) 07850300927
@tcmurray
Shortlisted for BSME Editor of the Year, business and professional weekly
www.AJBuildingsLibrary.co.uk
Thursday 26 April 2012
RIBA Female Power Part 2
As I was saying...
The 5 panelists at Tuesday night's event - Alison Brooks (Alison Brooks Architects), Deborah Saunt (DSDHA), Kathryn Firth (Chief of Design, Olympic Park Legacy Company),Liza Fior (muf architecture/ art) and Anna Gagliano (Aedas) - as well as Angela Brady herself, the RIBA President and Christine Murray, AJ Editor, were all fascinating to listen to. It made me wish I had had more opportunities to hear the thoughts and ideas of women in the building industry before now.
Each speaker was asked to address 3 questions:
1. What is the secret of her success?
2. What is her biggest achievement?
3. Where will women be in the architecture profession in 20 years time?
Although there was a reluctance to connect any female qualities to how they worked or why they were successful, I started scribbling "this is female power" beside my notes at things that struck a chord with me... here they are:
We are already a force, a power, re-enforcing each other...we are the future
The 5 panelists at Tuesday night's event - Alison Brooks (Alison Brooks Architects), Deborah Saunt (DSDHA), Kathryn Firth (Chief of Design, Olympic Park Legacy Company),Liza Fior (muf architecture/ art) and Anna Gagliano (Aedas) - as well as Angela Brady herself, the RIBA President and Christine Murray, AJ Editor, were all fascinating to listen to. It made me wish I had had more opportunities to hear the thoughts and ideas of women in the building industry before now.
Each speaker was asked to address 3 questions:
1. What is the secret of her success?
2. What is her biggest achievement?
3. Where will women be in the architecture profession in 20 years time?
Although there was a reluctance to connect any female qualities to how they worked or why they were successful, I started scribbling "this is female power" beside my notes at things that struck a chord with me... here they are:
- inviting collaboration
- learning not to apologise
- sharing the credit for your success
- looking at the evolving social condition
- valuing the banal and the everyday life
- urbanism is not about making objects
- ability to jump between scales from the minute to the masterplan
- adapting
- being open and honest
- keeping your sense of humour
We are already a force, a power, re-enforcing each other...we are the future
Wednesday 25 April 2012
RIBA Female Power - Part 1
Yesterday I went to the RIBA's "Female Power in Architecture" event at Portland Place in London. I wrote this on the train on my way home but I'll start with the last scribble from my notebook...
I'm a bit blurry from the glass of wine on an empty stomach, a bit distracted by the power of the heater blasting at my feet and a bit tired. What do I think? I was inspired, fired up, relieved, excited until the Q & A session at the end was cut off after one question and we were ushered out of the hall.
"How wonderful to see so many women architects" murmured Angela Brady, RIBA President as she climbed the stairs in front of me.
"Well, we were just saying it's a shame we couldn't have more of a debate at the end," I said.
"You can talk to the panellists individually over wine," she countered and imperceptibly increased her speed, dissolving into the throng ahead.
Eve and I scanned the cluster of women at the top of the stairs for either the speakers or the wine but saw neither. In the end we managed to snatch a few minutes with Kathryn Firth of the Olympics Legacy Company and Liza Fior of muf architecture/art before they were whisked off for dinner. I couldn't bring myself to linger at the edge of the dining room and try and stimulate the missing debate with my fellow lingerers whilst the panelists, president and AJ editor got to have their exclusive follow-up chat at the table a few feet away. Dare I say it? So RIBA. It couldn't be this sort of attitude that is putting women off architecture, could it?
Grumble over. Individually each woman was utterly inspiring. Following on from the AJ's January woman-centric issue which aimed to highlight role models of successful women as well as expose the sad state of gender balance in the profession, inspiration turned out to be the main aim of the evening. It really was a new experience to listen to a woman talk about her, very impressive, architecture. I found myself identifying with their stories of 'being an outsider' of being 'bolshy'. They spoke of careers as syncopation not a crescendo, of collaboration, joy in the small as well as the big, of working within society rather than making objects. They were open and frank and unfailingly modest. Christine Murray, the AJ Editor, started the (brief) discussion at the end of a presentations with a question about this modesty. Was this a female trait? Could this have something to do with how few women reach the top of this profession? The reply was to point out there were modest men too. Hmm.
This, I think, is one of the problems for women in any male dominated profession. We don't want to be seen to be different. We don't want special favours or special acknowledgement. When we do well we are not doing any better than our male colleagues who also do well. Yet these women had been brought before us in the context of 'a year of debate about the role of women in architecture' because they are special- the statistics show it and we wanted to talk about it. Second problem - no one wants to generalise, particularly not about anything that might be labelled as 'female' or 'male' types of behaviour or characteristics. The trouble is, by immediately diverting the conversation away from their 'femaleness', these women became just as distant to me as 5 successful men.
We will never know whether the discussion would have addressed what female power is in architecture. I thought they each illustrated some brilliant examples and I will be brave and spell them out in Part 2 of this blog. Meanwhile I will leave you with my unasked and unanswered questions:
I'm a bit blurry from the glass of wine on an empty stomach, a bit distracted by the power of the heater blasting at my feet and a bit tired. What do I think? I was inspired, fired up, relieved, excited until the Q & A session at the end was cut off after one question and we were ushered out of the hall.
"How wonderful to see so many women architects" murmured Angela Brady, RIBA President as she climbed the stairs in front of me.
"Well, we were just saying it's a shame we couldn't have more of a debate at the end," I said.
"You can talk to the panellists individually over wine," she countered and imperceptibly increased her speed, dissolving into the throng ahead.
Eve and I scanned the cluster of women at the top of the stairs for either the speakers or the wine but saw neither. In the end we managed to snatch a few minutes with Kathryn Firth of the Olympics Legacy Company and Liza Fior of muf architecture/art before they were whisked off for dinner. I couldn't bring myself to linger at the edge of the dining room and try and stimulate the missing debate with my fellow lingerers whilst the panelists, president and AJ editor got to have their exclusive follow-up chat at the table a few feet away. Dare I say it? So RIBA. It couldn't be this sort of attitude that is putting women off architecture, could it?
Grumble over. Individually each woman was utterly inspiring. Following on from the AJ's January woman-centric issue which aimed to highlight role models of successful women as well as expose the sad state of gender balance in the profession, inspiration turned out to be the main aim of the evening. It really was a new experience to listen to a woman talk about her, very impressive, architecture. I found myself identifying with their stories of 'being an outsider' of being 'bolshy'. They spoke of careers as syncopation not a crescendo, of collaboration, joy in the small as well as the big, of working within society rather than making objects. They were open and frank and unfailingly modest. Christine Murray, the AJ Editor, started the (brief) discussion at the end of a presentations with a question about this modesty. Was this a female trait? Could this have something to do with how few women reach the top of this profession? The reply was to point out there were modest men too. Hmm.
This, I think, is one of the problems for women in any male dominated profession. We don't want to be seen to be different. We don't want special favours or special acknowledgement. When we do well we are not doing any better than our male colleagues who also do well. Yet these women had been brought before us in the context of 'a year of debate about the role of women in architecture' because they are special- the statistics show it and we wanted to talk about it. Second problem - no one wants to generalise, particularly not about anything that might be labelled as 'female' or 'male' types of behaviour or characteristics. The trouble is, by immediately diverting the conversation away from their 'femaleness', these women became just as distant to me as 5 successful men.
We will never know whether the discussion would have addressed what female power is in architecture. I thought they each illustrated some brilliant examples and I will be brave and spell them out in Part 2 of this blog. Meanwhile I will leave you with my unasked and unanswered questions:
- Do the 60% of women architect students who don't become qualified architects just take the wrong subject at university?
- Does the fall in % really represent women leaving the architecture / building profession or is it about not becoming registered architects? If so - is that really a problem?
- Why do you think women leave?
Monday 23 April 2012
Monday 16 April 2012
SMART NETWORKING
One of the exciting things about the emerging group of Cambridge Women in Construction is the potential connections between us. These may be future working relationships, shared professional interests, friendships or specialist contacts.
We are probably all aware how useful it is to network with others in our industry but actually doing it is another matter. There is no getting away from the fact that women are in the minority at a construction event. Some events are even geared around traditional male interests such as rugby. How do you start a conversation? How can you make sure you are making useful contacts and your card won't go straight in the bin?
There has been a good response on the CWiC survey to both informal gatherings and networking events so I'm planning a second get-together for June. In the meantime I have provisionally organised a Smart Networking Workshop so we can learn how to make the most of these and any other meet-ups we attend.
I need at least 15 people to make it viable so could you please email me at cwic.contact@gmail.com to let me know whether you are interested? There's more info on the workshop below...
We are probably all aware how useful it is to network with others in our industry but actually doing it is another matter. There is no getting away from the fact that women are in the minority at a construction event. Some events are even geared around traditional male interests such as rugby. How do you start a conversation? How can you make sure you are making useful contacts and your card won't go straight in the bin?
How often do you come out wondering why you bothered?
 |
| picture by Richard-G reproduced under creative commons license |
There has been a good response on the CWiC survey to both informal gatherings and networking events so I'm planning a second get-together for June. In the meantime I have provisionally organised a Smart Networking Workshop so we can learn how to make the most of these and any other meet-ups we attend.
The workshop is scheduled for Tuesday 15th May, at 6.00pm to 8.00pm.
It will be in Cambridge and
places will cost £22.
I need at least 15 people to make it viable so could you please email me at cwic.contact@gmail.com to let me know whether you are interested? There's more info on the workshop below...
The overall aim of the workshop is to provide tools to delegates which will enable them to attract more business. It is an important part of the marketing mix needed in order to be 'fishing' rather than 'hunting' and to concentrate on a client base by niching as a marketing strategy as well as know where to find them.
-Understanding how, why, when and where to tap into your business networks,
-Feel More confident face to face and using social media,
-Learn how to Smart Network by prioritising, niching and targetting,
-Learn how to confidently work the room,
-Develop a winning elevator pitch,
-Learn how to give compelling presentations and love doing them!
-Adding Social Media to Your networking mix: Twitter, Facebook business page, LinkedIn, Blogging
-Attract people to your business using a marketing mix
-Complementary E-book 'Understanding Social Media' is included on completion of attendance.
-Nadia Cenci is an experienced confidence and performance coach and will be using Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) throughout her session on face to face networking as well as showing you how to prioritise your networking time.
Originally delivered through Business Link, with excellent feedback, Nadia continues to offer this to all businesses in the East Of England as well as in-house if companies prefer that option.
This workshop has been designed for small to medium businesses to gain more customers and to enjoy effective networking.
Friday 13 April 2012
Power Games
I just bought tickets to go to this FEMALE POWER IN ARCHITECTURE talk at the RIBA in London on 24th April. It's at 6.30pm so I'll probably get the16.45 train from Cambridge Station. Drop me an email if you are going too and I'll meet you at the station.
(You don't have to be a member of the RIBA to book btw.)
Panelists include:
I find it interesting that they should choose the word "power" in the context of this talk. It ties in with something they were writing about in ArchDaily yesterday on the decision to award Zaha Hadid with the Jane Drew Prize for women in architecture. Vanessa Quirk questions whether such an "extraordinary exception" as Hadid, who has been able to achieve success on her own terms, and who approaches architecture as High Art, rather than a social force for good, is the best choice for this award. She sees the award as seeking to challenge our perception of the state of women in architecture today in the spirit of Jane Drew and I agree with her. I only know Hadid by her reputation but that is a reputation of a gutsy, no nonsense woman who believes in herself and in getting her way. A brief look at the comments section show the usual panic about pigeon-holing women characteristics and why shouldn't Hadid get a prize for what she's done which I think is just missing the point. Hadid is a powerful woman. Many of us aren't. The question is: do we have to become 'powerful' to be recognised as good architects? I don't think so, and neither, I think, does Vanessa Quirk.
(You don't have to be a member of the RIBA to book btw.)
Panelists include:
- Alison Brooks, Alison Brooks Architects
- Deborah Saunt, DSDHA
- Kathryn Firth, Chief of Design, Olympic Park Legacy Company
- Liza Fior, muf architecture/ art
- Anna Gagliano, Aedas.
I find it interesting that they should choose the word "power" in the context of this talk. It ties in with something they were writing about in ArchDaily yesterday on the decision to award Zaha Hadid with the Jane Drew Prize for women in architecture. Vanessa Quirk questions whether such an "extraordinary exception" as Hadid, who has been able to achieve success on her own terms, and who approaches architecture as High Art, rather than a social force for good, is the best choice for this award. She sees the award as seeking to challenge our perception of the state of women in architecture today in the spirit of Jane Drew and I agree with her. I only know Hadid by her reputation but that is a reputation of a gutsy, no nonsense woman who believes in herself and in getting her way. A brief look at the comments section show the usual panic about pigeon-holing women characteristics and why shouldn't Hadid get a prize for what she's done which I think is just missing the point. Hadid is a powerful woman. Many of us aren't. The question is: do we have to become 'powerful' to be recognised as good architects? I don't think so, and neither, I think, does Vanessa Quirk.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)