Women of the First Wave: Gender-essentialism and resilience of women in architecture in the early 20th century

About the project

About the Project The ‘first wave’ of feminism is often associated with women's movements, women's suffrage and in architecture with pioneering women entering this profession. The RIBA accredited Ethel Charles as the first woman in 1898 but at that time ‘architect’ was not a legally protected term. It is not surprising then, that census records list women who self-assigned their professions as architects, and that newspaper articles appeared written by ‘women architects’ who were not RIBA accredited. This project invites researchers from the humanities, social sciences and architecture to explore ‘hidden’ women designing and building houses, interiors and structures in the UK. Their routes into practice via, for example, indenture and the Society of Architects, London can contribute to our understanding on how women’s movements helped shape how women entered professional fields and which expectations and/or barriers they met with. It can provide insights to if/how gender essentialist notions formed women’s practices and which mechanisms were applied by women in architecture in response to barriers they encountered. Project rationale: Women who practiced architecture between c1899 and 1939, were – with few exceptions – not accredited by the RIBA. Yet, the 1921 census records list 129 women as architects in the UK. Some appear to have practiced mostly as designers of kitchens and nurseries for upper-middle class clients and publicized their services via women’s columns in newspapers. Others worked in city councils, relied on family and friends for commissions, or entered practices with male colleagues. A few were also engaged in activities of women’s movements. This project seeks to understand these practices and what the term ‘architect’ meant in this context. It seeks to identify routes into practice, barriers and how women mentioned in the census seem to have overcome them. Why were not more women accredited – was this perceived as a positive or negative decision, did most women practice as interior designers and architects of houses for the middle class or where some engaged in building infrastructure and municipal structures? These are some of the questions that a research project on this material could pursue. Current research on the first wave of feminism in the UK provides excellent contextual information on women's movements but the role and standing of women in architecture has been addressed to a lesser degree. No systematic study has yet investigated comprehensively women working in architecture prior to the Second World War. Therefore, the enduring impact of women’s contributions to architecture as well as their roles and impacts in designing are unknown. Funding Notes: To inquire about University of Salford funding schemes – including the Widening Participation Scholarship – visit this website: https://www.salford.ac.uk/postgraduate-research/fees Application Web Page: Please use this Research Proposal, Personal statement, and CV guide when preparing an application: https://issuu.com/universityofsalford2/docs/seeresearchproposalpersonalstatementcvguid?fr=xKAE9zU1NQ

Research areas