08 Mar 2023
The theme of this year's International Women’s Day is #EmbraceEquity. Equity requires the acknowledgement of difference – that through social, cultural and economic constructs, we don't all come from the same point of privilege, and face different systemic and structural barriers that reduce ability to succeed.
Society shows us achieving equity won't happen by accident, and isn't resolved by treating everybody the same - it requires deliberate and specific actions. In practice, this means acknowledging and responding to the needs of each other, removing barriers, providing access to opportunities and providing tools to enable individual success.
We’ve collated a few initiatives from women in our industry who are sharing their experiences and highlighting the things we can do to create a world that is diverse, inclusive and equitable.
Making Space – A History of New Zealand Women in Architecture
Brilliant, hardworking and creative, women architects have made many significant contributions to the built environment, creativity and community of Aotearoa New Zealand. This ground-breaking book, by Elizabeth Cox, spans over a century, telling the story of women making space for themselves in a male-dominated profession while designing architectural, landscape and urban spaces. We are honoured to have some remarkable women from Studio Pacific highlighted in this publication.
Read more: https://www.masseypress.ac.nz/books/making-space/
Sarah Connor – Menopause at Work
Creating a diverse and inclusive culture is really important to us. Our commitment is supported through a number of diversity and inclusion initiatives that acknowledge our team’s differences while also providing opportunities and tools for our people to thrive personally and professionally.
Ahead of International Women’s Day, we invited Sarah Cooper to speak at a CPD session to help us start the conversation on Menopause – a normal and inevitable stage of life that directly and indirectly impacts many people. Amanda Harkness, Deputy Editor at Architecture New Zealand, spoke with Sarah, our Managing Director, Even Novák, and our Senior Principal - People and Practice, Paula MacDonald about the significance of increasing awareness and providing support to those in the workplace.
Read more: https://architecturenow.co.nz/articles/menopause-taboo-turned-hot-topic/
Mind the Gap
Last October, we were pleased to publish our Gender Pay Gap information publicly through MindTheGap.
Sharing these results supports our ongoing commitment to increasing representation and diversity across all parts of our business and the Architecture industry in Aotearoa. It continues to help us measure our progress and make meaningful steps toward a more inclusive, equal and representative company.
