IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 33

interview by

Carrie Neill

In 2013, there was no shortage of discussion about gender and the workplace.
Spurred in part by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg's runaway best-seller "Lean In,"
the past, present and future of women in Corporate America was one of the year's
hottest topics.
While the majority of Interior Designers are women, as a whole, the design industry
is still largely male dominated. This issue came to the forefront this year when several
Harvard students petitioned the Pritzker Prize board to retroactively give the award
to Denise Scott Brown for the work she did alongside her husband and design partner,
Robert Venturi. The Pritzker board declined to alter its decision and belatedly give
Scott Brown the award, though they did thank the Harvard students for calling their
attention to the "more general problem" of women's recognition.
At the same time, Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer made headlines for constructing
a nursery for her newborn son next to her office-while telling her employees that
they could no longer work from home. This prompted further discussion about
work vs. life, and balancing family alongside with office obligations.

Designers are nothing if not problem solvers, so here at Perspective that got us
thinking: what is the root of the gender divide in our own industry? Can we design
a solution? We sat down with a group of women in leadership roles within our
industry for a frank, candid discussion about gender roles, how we can encourage
more women to sit at the table, and if women (or men) really can "have it all."

Do you see more
women taking on
leadership roles within
the industry? What
can women do to
expand their sphere
of influence?

Patricia rotondo: Women are taking leadership roles in our industry, now more
than ever. Many prominent designers are women, yet the design industry as a whole
remains male-dominated. Women need to continue to turn the tide. We need to
support each other with seats at the table, and unlock our full potential. It's nice to see
younger designers with more options-the younger generation is not afraid to show
their strength, leadership and optimism. They believe in their greater contributions.
Holly Hunt: Women tend to give away design. We've done it for years, we're used

to backing off-I used to do it, and I still do it sometimes. We're not always out to get
the big job or to go for the big job. But women are expanding their sphere of influence
in everything. Women are working a larger percentage of the time than they used
to. I don't think about it being a male vs female thing. I think you have to do what
you love and the more women who love design the better.

catHrine Velkos: There's no question that women have a great influence on architecture
and interior design-but the lack of appropriate leadership opportunities is keeping
participation numbers low. This needs to change.
Gina Berndt: We can't be afraid of the business of design. Revenue contribution often
equals influence.
cHeryl durst: Women have a tremendous amount of influence in the design

profession-and while less may be "running" large firms from an administrative
and management standpoint, most specification and design decisions are made
by women who are design or studio directors and lead multidisciplinary teams.
And increasingly, women are making many of the hiring decisions at firms.

perspective

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013