Women & design

Just 1 in 5 designers are women. The percentage of women working in design has risen just 4% since 2004 and women are under-represented in all design disciplines, including architecture, civil engineering, town planning, software design, fashion and product design. (Source: ONS survey for Design Museum, 2018)

Safe, inclusive and well-planned public spaces, infrastructure, urban services, and transport can reduce violence and harassment that women and girls face and increase access to economic opportunities. (Source: Violence against Women and Girls, Infrastructure and Cities Briefing Paper, ICED, 2017).

The city of Vienna is identified as a model city for gender-mainstreaming, having incorporated this practice into the workings of the city since the early 1990s. A number pilot projects in planning (both housing and urban space) have been carried out. (Source: How to design a city for women, Clare Foran, Citylab 2013).

A study in rural New South Wales, Australia looked at the housing-related aspirations of older women who were not home owners. In design terms, green space and the ability to accommodate visiting family members were identified. (Source: Sandy Darab, Yvonne Hartman & Louise Holdsworth (2017): What women want: single older women and their housing preferences, Housing Studies).