Monday 20th Oct 2025

Build It Together, explores women’s experiences in the architecture profession. Commissioned by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), this report follows on from a landmark 2003 study which investigated why so many women were leaving the profession.

Same issues, more campaigning 

More than twenty years on, many of the same issues remain. Pay inequality, sexual harassment, and misogyny are still commonplace. While we found inspiring networks and feminist campaigners who have driven real change over the last two decades, we also heard from many women who continue to work in unacceptably sexist and toxic environments.

Women described being overlooked for promotion by male bosses, patronised in meetings, and working in cultures that reward long hours in the office over quality of work. Some reported contracts that prevent discussion about pay, and others told us they were expected to write their own maternity policies. There were a worrying number of examples of overt misogyny, abuse, and sexual harassment, and a lack of support or process for the victims.

Tackling a culture of sexism across sectors

Sexism is not unique to architecture - it exists across all sectors - and although policies have improved, many workplace cultures have not kept pace. However, the challenges appear particularly acute within architecture. We welcome RIBA’s commitment to address these issues through a concrete action plan to tackle sexism in the industry head-on.

At Fawcett, we are committed to advocating for women in the workplace,  whether in sectors where women are over-represented, such as health and social care; under-represented, such as STEM; or in fields where progress has stalled. This is the context for our work with RIBA and our work examining the architecture sector.

Centering Women's voices

Finally, we thank the brilliant women and sector experts who shared their insights and experiences. These reports and recommendations are only possible because women are willing to speak out to improve conditions for others.

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Download the report