How Identity Has Influenced an Architect's Career at CLIMATE Architecture
Early exposure to successful female leaders in a large firm helped Amy navigate the male-dominated architecture field; while noticing instances of "a level of politeness" afforded to their opinions, this professional ultimately views their gender as a non-issue, attributing success to following the examples of "females before" them and focusing on "ignoring it."
Gender Equality in Architecture, Overcoming Challenges in Male-Dominated Fields, Leadership in Architecture, Mentorship, Communication Skills
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Amy Cooney
Architect, Landscape Design
CLIMATE Architecture + Development
University of Virginia
University of Pennsylvania
Architecture, Interior Design
Climate, Environment, Sustainability & Waste Management
Creative
None Applicable
Video Highlights
1. Amy's early career experience with several excellent female leaders in a large firm helped her navigate the male-dominated field of architecture.
2. She observes that even today, she sometimes gets a moment of extra politeness or attention from male colleagues when she speaks, highlighting the ongoing gender dynamics in the industry.
3. Despite encountering such dynamics, Amy emphasizes that she hasn't faced significant career obstacles due to her gender and strives to work alongside her colleagues as equals, acknowledging the efforts of female architects before her.
Transcript
As someone who identifies as female in the architecture industry, how has that impacted how you've navigated your career?
I'm not the first female architect, but I worked in a really large firm between graduate school and undergraduate. My boss was female, and there were several excellent female leaders in that office.
I think I've always, you know, obviously now that I'm a female in architecture, and it's a very male-dominated field, I've seen lots of men working. I learned from those women early on to realize we're equals and we're side by side.
Sometimes it's a good thing when there are one or two females in the room, sometimes just one and ten males. Oftentimes, in this day and age, when I open my mouth to speak, there's still a level of politeness where they'll stop for a moment and wait.
So I noticed there's a gender difference, but I do get the floor. Then they realize pretty quickly that I'm just saying what they're saying, and we all just kind of go back to ignoring it again.
I think it's a really good thing that there were females before me, and I try to honor them by not letting it be a problem. It's been really, actually, sometimes a good thing.
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