Title: The Pink Book. A Feminist Manifesto for Architecture Education
Author: Rachel Sara
In: EAAE Transaction on Architectural Education No. 15: Writings in Architectural Education, ed. by Ebbe Harder (Copenhagen: Royal Academy of Fine Arts, 2001-2002), pp. 120-133. ISBN 2930301112
Year: 2001-2002
Abstract: There is a gaping hole in the mainstream (malestream? (Weiner, 1994)) discourse about the role of gender, and indeed race, sexuality and disability in the architectural profession, architects relationships with others and on architectural education. This is particularly shocking given the absence of women and ethnic minority groups in architecture: women currently make up only 13% of the architectural profession in the UK, which compares very poorly to other professions (ONS, 2000). This absence of women from the architecture profession supports the argument of a gender-related crisis in architecture: as a recent caption in Progressive Architecture magazine suggested, it remains a ‘White Gentleman’s Profession’ (Dixon, 1994:55)
Education lies at the heart of the profession, as the place in which architects’ attitudes, beliefs and training are developed. As a result, any attempt at addressing the gender imbalance, must state in the schools of architecture. This paper aims to provide a critical view of architectural education, arguing that power relations lie at the heart f this gender related crisis, and that the design studio is the site where these relations are reproduced. In response, a manifesto of proposals for change is presented. The Pink Book aims to lay down the ground rules for a new paradigm in architectural education.