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6/21/11 10:05 AMDesigning for Diversity: Issues for Architectural InternsPage 1 of 4http://info.aia.org/nwsltr_nacq.cfm?pagename=nacq_a_0402_diversity The Quarterly Journal of the National Associates CommitteeThe NEXT 150: The Future of Our Neighborhoods |   Designing for Diversity: Issues for Architectural Internsby Kathryn H. Anthony, PhD, Professor and Chair of the Design Program Faculty at the Schoolof Architecture, University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignAs we enter the 21st century, diversity has become an increasingly important issue for thearchitectural profession. For the last quarter of the 20th century, diversity has already receivedgreat attention in engineering, law, and medicine. For architectural interns, diversity has aspecial prominence. Architects' professional experiences during critical rites of passage canhave long-lasting impacts, coloring their perceptions of their future prospects in the field.Interviews, internships, the Architect Registration Exam, and the first job are milestones in theprofessional development of all architects. This is especially the case for underrepresenteddesigners such as women, persons of color, persons with physical disabilities, and gays andlesbians. In fact, the manner in which underrepresented architectural interns are treated in theworkplace and their responses to that treatment can either make or break their careers.Staff photo of Ross Barney & Jankowski Architects,Chicago, IL, one of the nation's most diversearchitectural firms.Photo courtesy of Laura Saviano.My research for Designing for Diversity of 400 architects nationwide compared the experiencesof white men, white women, men of color, and women of color. Through interviews andsurveys, I examined how different demographic groups of architects experience major hurdlesin their careers. My results revealed that what often serve as gateways to the profession forwhite male architects can sometimes serve as roadblocks for those underrepresented in thefield. Those for whom the architectural internship was a dream-come-true usually moved on tosatisfying professional careers. Yet those for whom the internship was a nightmare started offon the wrong foot, often feeling bewildered and depressed, not knowing where to turn. In theworst cases, negative internships drove young architects right out of the profession, never toreturn.While some participants in my research were members of professional affinity groups like AIA-January 22, 2009NAC Contacts &LinksNAC MissionContact yourRegional AssociatesDirectorFeedbackPublications StaffForward PastDirectorMurrye Bernard,Assoc. AIAForward DirectorJeanne Mam-Luft,Assoc. AIAAIA Staff LiaisonJaclyn Toole, Assoc.AIANAC CommunityDirectorMark A. Schwamel,Assoc. AIADisclaimerThis publication iscreated by Associatemembers of theAmerican Instituteof Architects. Viewsexpressed in thispublication aresolely those of theauthors.  This edition of6/21/11 10:05 AMDesigning for Diversity: Issues for Architectural InternsPage 2 of 4http://info.aia.org/nwsltr_nacq.cfm?pagename=nacq_a_0402_diversityArchiveWinter 2009Fall 2008Summer 2008Spring 2008Winter 2008Fall 2007Summer 2007Spring 2007Winter 2007Fall 2006Summer 2006Spring 2006Winter 2006Fall 2005Summer 2005Spring 2005Winter 2005Fall 2004Summer 2004Spring 2004Winter 2003-04Fall 2003sponsored women in architecture organizations, Chicago Women in Architecture, or the NationalOrganization of Minority Architects, many were not. It is often during the architecturalinternship process that belonging to such organizations can serve as an invaluable safety net-ifarchitects are willing to seek them out. Yet many never do. Many young women may neverhave experienced gender-related problems in school, and as a result they tend to shunwomen's groups, believing that they are truly on equal footing with their male counterpartsand fearing the feminist label. But only when things begin to go awry in the workplace,through no fault of their own, they may feel the need to turn to others like themselves forhelp.Mentors historically trained most architectural interns. The daily interactions between mentorsand mentees allowed young architects to learn the craft on the job. Nonetheless, research onmentoring indicates that senior members of almost any field are most likely to foster especiallyclose relationships with those who are their mirror images. Those who are not often are leftbehind. This pattern creates acute problems in a profession such as architecture that isrelatively homogenous in terms of gender, race, and sexual orientationToday's more systematic approach offered by the Intern Development Program, in contrast tothe informal mentoring of the past, stands to greatly benefit those underrepresented in thefield. By offering participants a broad spectrum of experiences, it is much more likely todaythan ever before that women, persons of color, and gays and lesbians will receive fairtreatment at this critical entry point in their careers. But nonetheless, fairness is never aguarantee.Given that the percentage of women graduating from architecture programs across the UnitedStates is on the rise, while the percentage of women and persons of color who are registeredmembers of the American Institute of Architects remains relatively low, the need to criticallyexamine and continually monitor the nature of the internship experience-especially forunderrepresented architects-is paramount. What happens to those women who graduate fromarchitecture school but fail to become registered and/or join the AIA? Where are they goingand why? How are African Americans, Latino Americans, Asian Americans, and NativeAmericans treated on the job? Understanding the internship can help provide the key.For example, in the landmark study conducted by Ernest Boyer and Lee Mitgang, BuildingCommunity: A New Future for Architectural Education and Practice (Carnegie Foundation forthe Advancement of Teaching, 1996), one intern who had been routinely working 60 to 70hours a week for a year and a half apparently "slacked off" to 50 hours a week after his wifehad a baby. As he told researchers, "The partner called me in and I got called on the carpet fornot working hard enough." At his office, and in many others, the internship process is far fromfamily-friendly. In fact, I have heard several such examples from recent graduates ofarchitecture school. As one of our former students recounted, he walked into his large Chicagooffice at 7:00 a.m. on a Saturday and greeted his colleagues with his usual "Good morning!""We've been here all night," they growled, "We don't have time to say 'Good morning.'"Although I first heard this story years ago, I'll never forget it.This is a serious problem that affects both men and women architects. The internship usuallycoincides with women's childbearing years. If a young couple decides to have children, and oneof them is an architectural intern, chances are that the frequent expectation of marathonworking hours will conflict with the 24-hour-a-day job of caring for a newborn. Ultimately thissituation will negatively impact both of them, personally and professionally. And more oftenthan not, the woman surrenders her career, or at least temporarily puts it on hold. Motherhoodis just one reason why many women give up on the architecture profession. For more on thisdilemma, see the excellent study by Ann de Graft-Johnson, Sandra Manley, and Clara Greed,Why Do Women Leave Architecture?Young female architecture graduates accustomed to a critical mass of women in their academicdesign studios are often faced with a rude awakening, suddenly discovering that they are theonly professional woman in the office. Many architects are employed in small firms where it islikely that the only woman in the office is a secretary. And because a large percentage ofAfrican-American and Latino students studied at historically Black colleges and universities,their adjustment to professional practice may be even more drastic.How did architects in my study perceive the internship experience? What kinds of relationshipsdid they have with coworkers at this critical juncture? To what extent did they feel thatcoworkers were willing to share information with them?This edition ofForward issponsored by KaplanAEC Education.6/21/11 10:05 AMDesigning for Diversity: Issues for Architectural InternsPage 3 of 4http://info.aia.org/nwsltr_nacq.cfm?pagename=nacq_a_0402_diversityMy results indicate that for the most part, men's internships were positive. In an open-endedquestion about the internship, nearly all the white males who responded reflected upon itfavorably. So did most male architects of color. Here is one example:" . . .as far as the coworkers sharing information, I learned a lot in the bigger office. I learneda lot in the small office because I just had to do it, but…I didn't have a recipe that I could lookat. I was preparing the recipes, if you will." (Native American male, age 53)One notable exception was the following:"My internships were a patchwork quilt of experiences. In general, most white co-workers wereunwilling to share information, and this unwillingness to share was definitely due to racism . ... I think many white coworkers were intuitively aware that working with me would notadvance their careers. Most stayed a bit distant from me, but a few whites became friends(who) helped me, or at least informed me about what was happening to me."Let me relate one incident. At a large corporate firm, a senior partner was selecting the stafffor a team. A mid-level executive specifically asked the senior partner about me, and thesenior guy said not to place me on the team. This mid-level person told me about the incident.At that point I decided to plan to leave. I was the only black person at the firm at that time."(African-American male, age 43)Women's experiences with the internship were mixed. For many it was an exciting opportunityto learn more about the profession. Yet for others it was highly problematic. Several womenexpressed concern that their internship was a fragile period in their career. Compared to morelong-term employees, interns are especially vulnerable to the whims of changing management,and often the first ones to be fired or laid off. Being terminated from a job can be devastatingto anyone, but to underrepresented architects who may feel less confident about their abilities,it is an added blow. At the internship stage, as they make their debut in the profession,negative experiences are magnified.Here are some of their comments." . . .sometimes women feel that they are being kept out of the information loop . . .. I dorecognize that I am usually not invited to the client meetings . . ." (white female, age 42)"Significantly lacking in site visits." (Latina/white female, age 28)"I received many praises from project managers with whom I worked at the beginning of mytenure. I found that most of my co-workers were very willing to share information with me. Iwas the only woman in the architectural area of the office . . . I received only one formalevaluation which I asked for after 1 1/2 years of employment. I was rated at that time quitehighly and given a raise."After three years of employment and many personnel changes I requested an evaluation onseveral occasions which I never received. At my four year mark, I was fired by a relatively newprincipal in charge of personnel and told that my work was deficient citing work for which I hadonly had minimal involvement. This was my first professional job . . . I found the firing to bedevastating." (Native American/white female, age 47)So what can managers of architecture offices and underrepresented architects do to preventproblems such as these? Designing for Diversity discusses a number of effective strategies formaintaining diversity, aimed at both employers and employees. Space does not allow a fulldiscussion of them here, yet in a nutshell, some key advice for interns: Alert your employer ifyou believe you are being treated unfairly or inappropriately in the workplace. Speak with ahuman resources specialist if available. Ask to see policies and procedures and make sure thatthey are being followed. Confer with colleagues and friends in other firms to see how theyhandled similar situations and what solutions proved successful. Join affinity groups and seekhelp from your peers; remain an active member so that you, in turn, can help others in thefuture. If your efforts to seek fair treatment are unsuccessful, and if other job opportunities areavailable, escape from a firm where working conditions are not promoting your personal growthand development. Let others know of your experiences, and do not be afraid to spread theword about firms that are both helpful and harmful in fostering diversity. It is only throughpeer pressure and shared knowledge that firms will recognize the importance of diversity and6/21/11 10:05 AMDesigning for Diversity: Issues for Architectural InternsPage 4 of 4http://info.aia.org/nwsltr_nacq.cfm?pagename=nacq_a_0402_diversityfair treatment for all.REFERENCESFor more about diversity in architecture, consult:Anthony, Kathryn H. Designing for Diversity: Gender, Race and Ethnicity in the ArchitecturalProfession. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2001.de Graft-Johnson, Ann, Sandra Manley, and Clara Greed, sponsored by the Royal Institute ofBritish Architects, "Why Do Women Leave Architecture?" Bristol, UK: University of the West ofEngland, 2003. This report can be downloaded at:www.riba.org/go/RIBA/Also/Education_2691.htmlKiisk, Linda (ed.) 20 on 20/20 Vision: Perspectives on Diversity and Design. Boston: AIADiversity Committee and Boston Society of Architects, 2003.KATHRYN H. ANTHONY, PhD, is professorand chair of the Design Program Facultyat the School of Architecture, Universityof Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, whereshe also serves on the faculty of theDepartment of Landscape Architectureand the Gender and Women's StudiesProgram. Site Map | Privacy | Contact Us ©2009 The American Institute of Architects, All Rights Reserved. 

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