ATTITUDES VS. WORK-STYLES: THE ROLE PLAYED BY PERCEPTIONS OF PROFESSIONALISM ON FEMALE ARCHITECTS IN NIGERIA

¹Enwerekowe, E.O. and ²Prucnal-Ogunsote, B.

^{1 & 2}Department of Architecture,

University of Jos, Jos, Nigeria.

E-mail: e_ebele12@yahoo.com, bogdaogunsote@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

The role of women in architecture has been viewed critically by modern researchers through different perspectives: historical accounts, the “feminist” space, gender discrimination, barriers to career progression, preferred roles for female architects and so many more. This has been instrumental to the formulation of several recent theories on gender involvement in the profession. The architectural profession boasts gender-neutrality yet continues to maintain practices that diminish the total involvement of women. This study examines the mind-set of female architects on the attitudes and culture of the architectural profession as it affects their contribution to the advancement of the profession. The study bases its analysis on theoretical and empirical sources of data that highlight areas of conflict for the full participation of female architects in the architectural practice and concludes with three recommendations for their increased input.