The changing roles of woman in design of built environment

In the course of history, in parallel with the changes and transformation in socia-economic and cultural phenomena, the status and roles of women have continuously changed in the society. The position and the role of the woman has been redefined in different societies such as matriarchal, patriarchal and egalitarian. Matriarchal period is the period in which the women had been blessed with her fertility and had been identified as female goddess. In this period women had started the tradition of building, building of the fundamental dwelling had been under the responsibility of the women. During this period the holly body of the women was represented and feminine forms had been used in built environment. Woman lost her position in the society and lost her economical capability upon the appearance of the ownership idea, formation of the city states and the emergence of the militarism. In patriarchal period the feminine forms were left in architecture, the ideal forms for the architecture was searched in man's body, the contribution of women in building production was restricted. After the industrialization period there has been a new society system, the masculine domination on woman decreased and egalitarian period has started. During this period women have started to get the right to have education, to have a profession, to work as a manager as men could have easily got without any effort by long term struggles. Women have started to work as designers in the field of architecture and could produce conceptual academic studies.