Architectus welcomes the publication by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) of gender pay gap data for all Australian businesses with over 100 employees. This is a significant step towards promoting transparency and accountability in achieving gender equality in the workplace.
We note the statistics publicised are from March 2023 so list Architectus and Conrad Gargett separately.
From April 2022 – March 2023, Conrad Gargett had a Gender Pay Gap of 19% in favour of men against the architectural industry standard of 15.5% for businesses with less than 250 staff. Architectus had a Gender Pay Gap of 19.3% in favour of men against the architectural industry standard of 19.7% for businesses of 250 – 499 staff.
In simple terms we have more senior men than women, so the median salary of the male cohort is higher than that of the female cohort.
This is an issue across many industries and is particularly evident in architecture and design. There are several complex and interconnected factors contributing to the lower representation of senior women in architecture compared to men.
- History: Architecture has traditionally been a heavily male profession. It takes time to cycle through professional ‘generations’, bringing more women into the top jobs.
- The pace of the profession: Architecture and design can be demanding fields, which can present an additional challenge for those with flexible work requirements in management or client facing positions.
- Lack of role models: Traditionally low levels of representation of women at senior levels means a scarcity of role models, mentors, and sponsors.
- Career breaks: Women are more likely to take career breaks for childcare or other reasons, which can set them back in terms of seniority and experience.
- Glass ceiling: Women may face invisible barriers that hinder their advancement to senior positions, such as unconscious bias in selection processes or a lack of opportunities for leadership development.
It is important to note that these are just some of the contributing factors and the specific reasons may vary depending on the individual and the context. However, by understanding these challenges, we have started to develop solutions and create a more equitable and inclusive profession for everyone.
Our focus is to increase representation of women in our senior ranks i.e., Senior Associates, Associate Principals and Principals. This is what we have done so far:
- In 2017 Architectus had only 5% female representation in the Principal cohort. Today it is 29%.
- We have achieved 50/50 gender split in our Executive Management Group.
- We have recruited exceptional female talent and are equally committed to growing our own future senior women. To this end, we have achieved 50/50 gender balance in our graduate cohort this year – against the graduation stats nationally showing only 40% of architectural graduates are female.
- In calendar year 2023, women accounted for 61% of our promotions and 55% of our new hires.
- Last year we offered twenty different learning opportunities, from creative leadership to client negotiating training and 78% of women completed a training opportunity.
- Since 2018 we have invested $3.5 million in our paid parental leave scheme. 92 staff have accessed our 16 weeks paid parental leave, with a 4 week return to work bonus and one year of Superannuation contributions.
- We have developed flexible working systems, investing heavily in systems, hardware and training to achieve effective and seamless participation for those working remotely or from home.
Architectus views the WGEA reporting as a valuable reference point for discussion and action on gender equality in our practice. We are currently finalising our next set of data which will combine Architectus and Conrad Gargett for the period April 2023 – March 2024. We will share the results with our staff as we are committed to transparency and accountability regarding gender pay equity within Architectus.
We hope that by openly discussing the data, we can spark constructive conversations about gender pay equity, raise awareness of unconscious biases, and encourage collaboration on solutions.
At Architectus, we are committed to closing the gender pay gap. We will build on the initiatives already in place to attract, retain, and grow senior women in our practice. We will continue to improve our systems and processes around recruitment, equality in career opportunities, training and development, mentoring, and sponsorship.
We are committed to ensuring that all our employees are valued and fairly compensated, and we thank each of them for their contribution and commitment to creating an equitable workplace for everyone at Architectus.