By Laura McCrossan, associate director, Aitken Turnbull Architects
WOMEN are steadily gaining ground in UK business, with the 2025 FTSE Women Leaders Review reporting that women now hold 43% of company board roles. Yet in architecture, progress has been far slower. According to RIBA, the proportion of women in leadership positions has risen only marginally — from 16% to 19%.
While women currently make up just 31% of UK architects, nearly half (47%) of new entrants in 2023 were female. So where is the clear pathway to leadership for this new generation? Where is the mentorship, the support, and the structural change that makes women feel not only welcome at the top — but like they belong there?
Architecture has long been known for its demanding work culture: long hours, out-of-hours networking, and a competitive, often male-dominated environment. Add parenthood into the mix, and the profession becomes even less sustainable. Many women step away mid-career — not due to a lack of talent or ambition, but because of inflexible working conditions, insufficient support, and an industry that still struggles to accommodate a healthy work-life balance.
There’s a well-cited statistic: men apply for jobs when they meet just 60% of the qualifications, while women wait until they meet 100%. How much of the leadership gap is due to women holding themselves back — understandably so — in roles that are already demanding and under-rewarded? Why would anyone aspire to climb the ladder when it means more stress, longer hours, and still being paid less than their male peers?
That said, it’s not all bleak! RIBA and other professional bodies are introducing initiatives aimed at improving gender equity. Campaigns like Women in Architecture and Women in Property are pushing for real, systemic change. These are positive steps, but they need to be met with equally strong efforts from within the profession itself.
The issue isn’t about entry into architecture — after all, someone willing to spend seven years earning an architecture degree clearly has both talent and passion. The issue lies deeper, in how the profession defines leadership and supports growth. As someone who began my career as an admin assistant, I never imagined I’d one day sit in a leadership role. That’s partly because I didn’t understand what leadership meant — or that it was even possible for someone like me.
How many of us are ever taught what leadership really involves, or what it takes to be successful in both business and design? Does rising to the top mean giving up the parts of architecture we love most?
By creating a culture where women in leadership mentor and uplift the next generation, we can start to dismantle the barriers that keep so many from rising. But until the architecture industry itself evolves — offering true flexibility, valuing diverse leadership styles, and redefining what success looks like — many will continue to ask: is it worth it?
