Women’s experience of industrial design education: What worked, what didn’t and where to in the future
- Publisher:
- ACUADS
- Publication Type:
- Conference Proceeding
- Citation:
- Proceedings of the ACUADS CONFERENCE 2014: THE FUTURE OF THE DISCIPLINE, 2015
- Issue Date:
- 2015-10-16
Closed Access
| Filename | Description | Size | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lockhart-and-Miller(1).pdf | Published version | 824.45 kB |
Copyright Clearance Process
- Recently Added
- In Progress
- Closed Access
This item is closed access and not available.
This paper addresses an acknowledged but seldom discussed concern: the participation and representation (or not) of women in design courses and the wider industry. Over the past decade, the proportion of women engaging in design tertiary education has increased significantly, rising in an environment that has historically been inundated with male students. For example, university enrolment statistics show that women now typically compromise approximately a third to half of the design student population. Yet despite these positive gains, women are not represented more widely in the profession. In Australia, anecdotal evidence suggests that women remain underrepresented in both senior leadership roles and in local, state or distinguished national design awards (Anthony 2001; Fowler & Wilson 2004). This gender distinction in terms of career progression and visibility is evident in the architecture professional accreditation process: recent statistics show women comprised 43% of architecture students in Australia, yet registered architects in each state varied from 12-18%, with only one per cent of directors at architectural firms (Whitman 2005). Similar statistics have been documented overseas, including the United Kingdom where women comprise 38% of students yet comprise only 13% of practising architects and 22% of teaching staff (de Graft-Johnson, Manley & Greed 2003). Whilst professional registration is not the only indicator of career success, and is not a requirement for other design disciplines, it highlights a gendered difference between educational training and career opportunities for female designers. The unanswered question that remains is where are these women? Are they working in other industries? Is our education system failing female designers? Is it the workplace? Or is the underlying culture of design, building and manufacturing not alluring or inviting to women? This paper begins to address these questions, focussing on exploring the educational experience and perspectives of female designers, utilising the discipline of industrial design as a case study.
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: