"Looking back on architectural history, you could be forgiven for thinking that women were an invention of the 1950’s, alongside spandex and power steering – but this couldn’t be further from the truth," says Rackard. "Big names like Le Corbusier, Mies, Wright and Kahn often had equally inspired female peers, but the rigid structure of society meant that their contributions tended to be overlooked."
Unfortunately recent surveys and articles demonstrate that such misogyny is not a relic of the past. Perhaps increased recognition for the pioneering work of architects such as Sophia Hayden Benett, who designed the Woman’s Building at Chicago's Columbian Exposition, and Norma Merrick Sklarek, the first African-American woman to hold an architecture license and co-founder of the biggest female-only firm in the U.S., can help improve the plight of today's talented practitioners.
