Architecture: A good career for girls?

The construction industry and its related professions have a negative image in terms of attracting and retaining women. This paper is work in progress which reports the findings of a 12-year longitudinal study into the careers of women architects who have been interviewed three times over a period of 12 years. Firstly, to investigate what attracted them to the architecture profession and latterly to examine why they remain there. Findings show that the choice of profession is very much intuitive rather than a reasoned, logical decision and that while the women are aware of the negative aspects of the industry, the intrinsic rewards from architecture outweigh them.