International Women’s Day is celebrated on the 8th of March every year and focuses on women’s rights and equality in this modern day and age. The day has occurred for over a century, with the first International Women’s Day gathering taking place in 1911. Here we look at the current situation in our industry and what events are coming up. 

2020 is a monumental year for women’s rights as it marks 25 years since the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action was passed. We will be seeing plenty of the phrase Beijing+25 this year. 

It was 25 years ago that governments made a promise to girls and women around the world and committed to tackling gender inequality and advancing women’s rights. 

To date there has been some progress, but there are still women all over the world who are still denied their human rights. Women still face violence and resist the constraints of economic inequality and political disenfranchisement. 

As the property industry has always been known to be male dominated, we thought we would share facts and upcoming events within the industry celebrating women’s rights. So, what’s coming up? 

Women in architecture 

Each year the Architects Journal holds the W Awards, formerly known as ‘Women in Architecture’ and the W programme. They recognise women’s contribution to the architecture profession worldwide and promote role models for young women who are starting out in their career. The aim of this is to encourage respect, diversity and equality in practice. 

This years’ awards will be a lunch held at the Battersea Arts Centre London on Friday 6 March 2020. You can book a table or seat here. The lunch will also include some inspirational speeches from Yasmeen Lari – Pakistan’s first female Architect and internationally renowned historian as well as curator Beatriz Colomina, both inspirational recipients of this year’s prestigious Jane Drew and Ada Louise Huxtable Prizes. 

The W partnership programme promotes diversity and equality in practice, offering architectural practices the opportunity to highlight their firm as a leading ethical employer. The programme incorporates an annual partner survey and a series of networking and best practice events over the course of the year. Also included is invaluable access to mentoring sessions, socials and inspiring lectures and panel discussions. Join the W partnership programme here. (1)

Here’s a few of the current partners: 

• Allies and Morrison, 
• BDP 
• Scott Brownrigg 
• David Chipperfield Architects 
• Foster + Partners 
• Grimshaw 
• Zaha Hadid Architects  

Women in construction 

A women in construction summit will be taking place at Olympia London on the 9th and 10th of June 2020 and will include speeches from some inspirational faces within the industry.  

The summit will include over 50 sessions, 20+ workshops, 60+ speakers and 1,400 attendees. They will be focusing on equality and rights for women in construction, giving women a network of other professionals to reach out to for support. Book your tickets here. (2)

What about recruitment? 

Hunter Dunning Managing Director, Joe Synes said: “As a recruitment agency specialising in Property, we are fully aware that many jobs within our industry are considered “for men” and therefore the man to women ratio is typically quite high. Despite this stereotype, we are conscious to ensure that all of our candidates are treated fairly and equally put forward to any role regardless of their gender. It’s really encouraging to also see that our clients are equally sensitive and on board with equality. 

Here at Hunter Dunning we also try and stick to a 50:50 gender ratio as much as we can and hire with complete equality. Sales and recruitment also used to be a very male dominated industry but that’s certainly changed now.” 

PROPERTY DESIGN & MAINTENANCE RECRUITMENT SPECIALISTS 

Hunter Dunning is one of the leaders in the Property Design & Maintenance Recruitment Specialist markets. We provide our customers with second to none recruitment solutions, plus the latest industry insights, statistics and news. Check back on our blog regularly for updates such as these. 

Want to make more of your career in property? Search our current Property jobs, Architecture jobs, and Interior Designs jobs. 

REFERENCES 

1.) Architects Journal   
2.) Women in Construction
3.) International Womens Day.com