manifesto - building the toolbox
In other languages such as Spanish gender is embedded into its fabric; doctor (m)/doctora (f), abogado (m)/abogada (f), maestro (m)/maestra (f), arquitecto (m) arquitecta (f). The outright indication of gender is something unusual in English, and deviation from this neutrality always lends itself to questioning why?
Let’s think about what that means for the term “female architect.” Looking at it in isolation, ‘Architect’ is a genderless label indicating profession, but of course, we do not exist in isolation, and there are arguments that both support and abhor this neutrality. This collection of work which originated in the 4.210 classroom opts for the latter and argues that we are not yet ready to abandon Her, the term ‘female architect.’ We all come from different backgrounds with varying perceptions of gender and experiences that enable us to explore the topic in a wide and exploratory way, like interviews, visual analysis, and literary analysis, but we are going to start with a manifesto and call for collective knowledge.
This first section of our work aims to establish context and be an entry point into the existing conversation. The goal is to build a bibliography of texts rooted in sociological and anthropological gender studies and women’s issues. This is vital because connecting the theories of social structure to the realities of operating in a male-dominated industry offers an entry point into understanding the societal skeleton that allows for the success of certain groups of people and the struggle for others. This is a curated catalog of information that strives to be as accessible as possible and provide people with a variety of mediums. Ideally, this would be a collaborative endeavor, and we invite people to submit resources that impact your own perceptions of gender, which can come in many forms and mediums.
Some may say “how can we strive for equality when we keep pointing out our differences?” They feel hesitant about explicitly emphasizing gender issues and even attribute this visibility to what keeps perpetuating ‘otherness.’ The narrative that we live in a meritocracy where the playing ground is level and success is democratized, while theoretically attractive and something to strive for, is ultimately false. Yes, I agree it is infuriating to think about why the “female "is so important and has to be an added clarifying prefix to a profession that men naturally are associated with, but that term is not ready to be retired, ‘She’ should not be dismissed especially in a society that is prone to conveniently ‘forgetting,’ or more like intentionally erasing its evils. The acknowledgment of women in a male-dominated space is an act of calling for accountability; there is urgency in recognizing those imbalances in the present and something to fight. Acknowledging gender is not an act of ingenuine sanctification of a whole gender, not as a cheesy flimsy gender alliance pact, and not as a sign of weakness, but as a nudge and signal that there is more to fight for.
During a time where conversations surrounding equity are rampant, it is important not to abandon ‘Her’, the ‘female architect.’ Let’s use this language to motivate experiential everyday equity. Things like the pink tax, unpaid/unequal domestic labor, wage gap, reproductive rights, lack of representation, sexual harassment, implicit bias, sex trafficking, and domestic abuse affect women, and to say “no more woman architect” is to turn a blind eye to all these fundamentally female issues. They are issues that we have perhaps become collectively desensitized to due to how long they have been discussed and how little actionable progress we have made regarding them. We fool ourselves, or perhaps innocently hope, that we can find refuge from these cruel realities in the professional realm where maybe our talent will perhaps be able to shield us from all the aforementioned issues, but we will find disappointment, those evils are already there and have been there for a while. These issues precede us, and pretending like it is not there does not make them go away. Equally, the apparent absence of these evils in one woman’s life is not an accurate signifier to the complete eradication of the issue but rather speaks to the slippery and guileful traits misogyny has adopted to survive today. Despite the slow progress, let’s not wave the white flag and accept revised titles without accompanying change as a consolation prize in the fight for true equity in and outside the office. Embrace the “female architect,” respect ‘Her’ for demanding visibility, for doing the unpaid and underappreciated work she is used to.
So, thank you to the “Women’s colleges,” “Women’s homeless shelters,” “Women’s health clinics,” “Women’s March,”: Women’s International Day,” “Women-owned businesses,” future “Women presidents,” and “Women architects.” You are by no means perfect, but you are essential in this fight. We will not forsake the ‘female architect’ yet, but we hope that one-day long-term progressive restructuring, rethinking, and revaluations will allow us to retire Her with dignity.
written by Brenda Hernandez
edited by shift+w
