Examining the career barriers of women architects

In the historical process, the active role of female architects in the architectural profession has taken place over a long period of time. Today, it is observed that the demand of female students for architectural education has increased. However, male and female architects who graduated from architecture schools have reached a mixed structure. However, the number of female architects who graduated from architecture schools and the number of female architects appearing in the construction sector do not progress in direct proportion. It is possible to associate this situation with the male dominated structure of the construction industry in the literature. On the other hand, it is stated that women architects interrupt their career processes, abandon their careers or face a series of obstacles in their career processes. In this context, the thesis study was conducted to reveal the career barriers faced by women architects and to understand whether the career barriers of women architects differ according to different career stages. In the study, an online survey was prepared to be applied to women architects. The sample of the study consists of 268 women, who are in the early, middle and late career stages, and who are involved in the fields of in the construction sector tender file preparation, exploration/quantity, presentation file preparation, 3D visualization, concept project, project manager, project follow-up, design, application project consists of architects. As a result of the research, it was revealed that women architects faced career obstacles such as wage inequalities, inflexible working hours, male-dominated structure, sexist attitudes, glass ceilings and inability to establish family-career balance in all career stages. According to the results of the hypothesis test conducted to understand whether career barriers differ depending on different career stages, it was understood that only glass ceiling and sexist attitudes differ according to career stages. Accordingly, as women architects progress in their career stages, the obstacles to glass ceilings and sexist attitudes increase. In order to ensure that every precaution to be taken is permanent and to ensure its continuity, it is important to provide vocational information on equal opportunities in educational institutions and to supervise the measures taken.