{"id":7553,"date":"2025-08-11T19:05:15","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T19:05:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/?p=7553"},"modified":"2025-08-19T18:51:13","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T18:51:13","slug":"angela-dapper-on-gender-equity-career-change-and-designing-for-social-impact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/articles\/angela-dapper-on-gender-equity-career-change-and-designing-for-social-impact\/","title":{"rendered":"Angela Dapper on gender equity, career change and designing for social impact"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Why Are Women Walking Away From Architecture? - Angela Dapper\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/MP3jqMp-oh0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"491\" data-end=\"813\">What keeps someone in architecture after decades in the profession? How do you build a career that spans landmark projects like the Stonehenge Visitor Centre, senior roles at major practices, and then step away to start a small socially focused studio? And what still needs to change for women in architecture to thrive?<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"815\" data-end=\"1050\">Angela Dapper has navigated all of it &#8211; from stubbornly pursuing architecture in the face of early gender bias, to leading diversity initiatives at global practices, to now setting up her own socially sustainable studio in Australia.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"1052\" data-end=\"1074\">Why architecture?<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"1075\" data-end=\"1330\">I think that question would be answered differently by every single person in architecture, and that\u2019s the best thing about it. The field is so broad that at any one time you can be doing a completely different role. That variety is what keeps me going.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1332\" data-end=\"1589\">I didn\u2019t grow up knowing any architects or anything about architecture. I grew up in a small country town. But I did know that I liked drawing &#8211; and I really liked drawing buildings. I was always drawing perspectives, elevations, for no particular reason.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1591\" data-end=\"1859\">I loved maths as well, and I think a lot of architects are actually quite process-driven rather than purely creative. I liked the idea of putting things together, working things out, following a process. For a long time, a career in physics or maths seemed possible.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1861\" data-end=\"2090\">But I decided to be an architect by the age of 12 or 13. I was really young, and I was stubborn. People would say, \u201cYou want to be an architect? You can\u2019t do that. You\u2019d hate it. You\u2019re a girl.\u201d And I thought, right &#8211; watch me.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2092\" data-end=\"2344\">At that point I thought it was mostly about drawing and all those lovely things. Of course, as we know, that\u2019s only a small part of the role. But the stubbornness stayed, and that\u2019s been a big part of my career &#8211; just holding on to what I want to do.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2092\" data-end=\"2344\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-7557 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/A-Young-Angela-Dapper-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/A-Young-Angela-Dapper-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/A-Young-Angela-Dapper-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/A-Young-Angela-Dapper-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/A-Young-Angela-Dapper-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/A-Young-Angela-Dapper.jpg 1900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"2346\" data-end=\"2396\">Gender bias and the uphill battle in the 90s&#8230;<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"2397\" data-end=\"2528\">At university in the 90s, we started out close to 50\/50 men and women. By the end, the number of women had dropped to around 25%.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2530\" data-end=\"2780\">In my first job, I got paid less than a man who had graduated from my university in the same year with lower marks. That was a moment of, \u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d I\u2019m too practical to understand why that happens, but when I saw it, I hated it.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2782\" data-end=\"2957\">It was always in my mind &#8211; this sense that I wasn\u2019t going to be part of an unequal profession. I wanted to do this equally. That feeling stayed with me throughout my career.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2959\" data-end=\"3075\">I hope it\u2019s better now, but back then, it wasn\u2019t a great place for young female architects in Australia or London.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7563\" style=\"width: 1910px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7563\" class=\"wp-image-7563 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Angela-Dapper_University-1997.jpg\" alt=\"Angela Dapper at the University of Adelaide in 1997, smiling while holding a triangular ruler and pencil in a design studio, with posters and drafting tables in the background.\" width=\"1900\" height=\"1146\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Angela-Dapper_University-1997.jpg 1900w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Angela-Dapper_University-1997-300x181.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Angela-Dapper_University-1997-1024x618.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Angela-Dapper_University-1997-768x463.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Angela-Dapper_University-1997-1536x926.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-7563\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Angela At the University of Adelaide in 1997.<\/p><\/div>\n<h3 data-start=\"163\" data-end=\"214\">Leaving Australia for opportunities in London<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"215\" data-end=\"415\">Australia always feels a little separate from the rest of the world. When you\u2019re studying architecture there, you learn about global architecture and global architects, but you feel removed from it.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"417\" data-end=\"724\">I worked in Australia for a couple of years in the 90s, doing 3D visualisations and flythroughs. At the time, no one was really doing them, so I was doing loads. It became most of what I did. I felt like that wasn\u2019t where I wanted to be, so I took it off my CV, said I couldn\u2019t do it, and moved to London.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"726\" data-end=\"997\">When I got to London, I started doing technical detailing and felt like I was really getting into architecture. London was a place of opportunity. No one cared which university you\u2019d been to. If you were from another country, you were taken on merit &#8211; and I loved that.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"999\" data-end=\"1044\">Designing the Stonehenge Visitor Centre<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_7561\" style=\"width: 1910px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7561\" class=\"wp-image-7561 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/8-dcm-stonehenge-visitor-centre4.jpg\" alt=\"Aerial view of the Stonehenge Visitor Centre, designed by Denton Corker Marshall in 2013, featuring a flat roof supported by slender vertical columns, glazed walls, and surrounding grassland in the Wiltshire countryside.\" width=\"1900\" height=\"1267\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/8-dcm-stonehenge-visitor-centre4.jpg 1900w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/8-dcm-stonehenge-visitor-centre4-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/8-dcm-stonehenge-visitor-centre4-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/8-dcm-stonehenge-visitor-centre4-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/8-dcm-stonehenge-visitor-centre4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-7561\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Stonehenge Visitor Centre, Denton Corker Marshall, 2013<\/p><\/div>\n<p data-start=\"1045\" data-end=\"1295\">It was a really difficult, complex project with a lot of interested parties. The list of stakeholders was huge &#8211; over a hundred people who were not just interested but actively involved. Every time we had a design update, we had to go back to them.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1297\" data-end=\"1530\">There had been so many failed schemes before ours. At one point, a prominent architect rang me up and said, \u201cI know you\u2019ve just won this, but it probably won\u2019t go ahead.\u201d I remember thinking, why are you calling me to tell me that?<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1532\" data-end=\"1823\">The project changed locations several times. People had strong opinions. Some thought the building should be heavy and grounded because it was at Stonehenge. Barry Marshall, who designed it, had the opposite vision &#8211; something light on the landscape, the opposite of the stones themselves.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1825\" data-end=\"2182\">That clarity of vision held the whole project together. We designed the furniture, the materials, the structure, the sustainability &#8211; all with that in mind. When it went to site, the contractor gave a speech to the whole site team about the design vision. I\u2019d never heard a contractor do that. And they got it. It was simple enough to stick in your head.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2184\" data-end=\"2398\">We weren\u2019t just doing the visitor centre. We were also doing the roundabouts, the roads, the path around the stones, all under the same principle. Everything was low-key, nothing jarring. It all pulled together.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2400\" data-end=\"2464\">I spent five years on that project. It was like another child.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7562\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7562\" class=\"wp-image-7562 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/3-dcm-stonehenge-visitor-centre5-1024x789.jpg\" alt=\"View from beneath the canopy of the Stonehenge Visitor Centre, designed by Denton Corker Marshall in 2013, showing slender angled columns, perforated roof panels, and floor-to-ceiling glass walls overlooking the surrounding landscape.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"789\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/3-dcm-stonehenge-visitor-centre5-1024x789.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/3-dcm-stonehenge-visitor-centre5-300x231.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/3-dcm-stonehenge-visitor-centre5-768x591.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/3-dcm-stonehenge-visitor-centre5-1536x1183.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/3-dcm-stonehenge-visitor-centre5.jpg 1870w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-7562\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Under the canopy at the Stonehenge Visitor Centre by Denton Corker Marshall, 2013.<\/p><\/div>\n<h3 data-start=\"2466\" data-end=\"2517\">Lessons from working in three major practices<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"2518\" data-end=\"2830\">At Denton Corker Marshall in London, we were small, around 15 to 20 people, sometimes up to 50. I grew into leadership there, eventually becoming a partner. Because I\u2019d been there so long, I knew the people, the culture, the way things worked. It was open and supportive, and I probably took that for granted.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2832\" data-end=\"3025\">When I became a partner, I realised I needed to learn more about leadership, so I got a coach. It was important to me to do the role well, to know the options and how other people did things.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3027\" data-end=\"3386\">Grimshaw was very different. 320 people when I joined. I wanted to understand what \u201cbig\u201d looked like. In big practice, the culture has to be worked on constantly because people are always moving in and out. They had a fantastic office culture, and I got involved in it. I led the diversity group, building on the work I\u2019d already done around gender equity.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3388\" data-end=\"3668\">In a big practice, you have to be open to listening. You can\u2019t assume you know what everyone needs. And I think that\u2019s really important in architecture. We talk a lot about long hours and low pay, but there are people doing it well, and we should talk about those examples too.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3670\" data-end=\"3930\">Architectus in Australia was another change. I\u2019d applied for a role, rather than being approached. It was more prescriptive, less shaped around me. That\u2019s when I realised I work best in places where my way of working is part of the reason they want me there.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"3932\" data-end=\"3975\">Why Angela moved from DCM to Grimshaw<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"3976\" data-end=\"4173\">I could have stayed at DCM forever. I loved it. But when I became a partner, I thought, \u201cI\u2019m at the top, now what?\u201d I was about 40, and I knew I couldn\u2019t do the same thing for the next 25 years.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4175\" data-end=\"4387\">Grimshaw approached me and said they\u2019d make a role for me to do what I did at DCM, but there. That was appealing. Being wanted for what I brought, rather than having to fit into a role, made a big difference.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4389\" data-end=\"4516\">Big practice has its own advantages: investment in people, courses, opportunities. It was the right move for me at the time.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"4518\" data-end=\"4570\">Why many senior women are leaving architecture<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"4571\" data-end=\"4791\">Six months ago, I realised I didn\u2019t want to keep putting my heart into something I didn\u2019t believe in. A lot of senior women I know have felt the same. They\u2019ve gone client-side, become consultants, or found other paths.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4793\" data-end=\"5102\">For me, it was about wanting to strip back the layers of process and hierarchy and get back to being hands-on. I wanted to take my skills and bring value to projects that really need it, social housing, community projects, where my experience could have a bigger impact than as a small cog in a big wheel.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"128\" data-end=\"178\">Starting her own socially sustainable studio<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"179\" data-end=\"384\">What I\u2019m looking at now is whether it\u2019s possible to run a practice that delivers small, socially focused projects with the clarity, design quality and professionalism you usually see on much larger jobs.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"386\" data-end=\"683\">I don\u2019t think it\u2019s right to take a profit from certain kinds of work, things that are community-based and necessary, like social housing. In my business, the aim is for profits to be rolled back into people and communities, creating a cycle where the benefits fund better outcomes for everyone.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"685\" data-end=\"872\">I want to bring the value of my experience, the same level of design thinking and delivery I\u2019ve used on high-profile projects, to clients and communities that usually can\u2019t access it.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"874\" data-end=\"923\">Listening and adapting to community clients<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"924\" data-end=\"1135\">With these kinds of projects, you have to listen even more than usual. Clients often have very different funding structures and processes. The way the project has to be shaped is influenced by those realities.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1137\" data-end=\"1422\">What\u2019s interesting is that a lot of the people leading these client organisations are similar to me. They\u2019ve had big careers in the building industry and decided they wanted to do something more rewarding. So you\u2019re often working with people who understand the value of good design.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1424\" data-end=\"1603\">But you have to fit the process to them, not the other way around. That means pausing, listening, understanding the constraints and working with them to get to a shared outcome.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1605\" data-end=\"1882\">And the impetus is high. These projects matter. If it\u2019s a kindergarten, for example, it needs to be safe, have good light, be beautiful, but it also has to be affordable. You can\u2019t just pull something from a catalogue and call it done. These are real people with real needs.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"1884\" data-end=\"1938\">Why she started her business later in her career<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-7566 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Angela-Dapper_Headshot-2025.jpg\" alt=\"Angela Dapper seated at a desk with a digital tablet, smiling at the camera. She wears a black top with a chunky yellow necklace, with bookshelves blurred in the background.\" width=\"1900\" height=\"1425\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Angela-Dapper_Headshot-2025.jpg 1900w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Angela-Dapper_Headshot-2025-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Angela-Dapper_Headshot-2025-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Angela-Dapper_Headshot-2025-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Angela-Dapper_Headshot-2025-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1939\" data-end=\"1958\">If not now, when?<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1960\" data-end=\"2279\">Covid was a turning point. It gave me and my family time to reflect on what we were doing. We\u2019d always talked about moving back to Australia, so after Covid we decided to just do it. If we didn\u2019t like it, we could always move back, but we wanted a different lifestyle for our kids, and it felt like the right moment.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2281\" data-end=\"2541\">The same thinking applied to my career. I\u2019d always imagined going out on my own one day. At 50, I thought, I can put in a good 15 years of work on my own terms. This could be the last phase of my career, or it could evolve again. I like keeping things open.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"2543\" data-end=\"2587\">Returning to Australia as an architect<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"2588\" data-end=\"2752\">You don\u2019t actually have to be registered to work as an architect in Australia, but mutual recognition opened up last year, so I decided to go through the process.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2754\" data-end=\"3106\">That meant putting together an application and doing an interview. Basically the equivalent of the Part 3 exam in the UK. I\u2019d been a Part 3 examiner for over a decade, so it was strange to be on the other side of the table. I took it seriously and used it as a way to refresh my knowledge, especially on the differences between the UK and Australia.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3108\" data-end=\"3237\">The work is very similar, but the terminology is different. I still find myself Googling things like, \u201cWhat\u2019s VAT called here?\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3239\" data-end=\"3518\">Culturally, there are differences too. In the UK, an architect is expected to lead the process. In Australia, clients can be more prescriptive. They\u2019ll tell you what they want and expect you to deliver it, rather than asking for your vision. It\u2019s a slightly different balance.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"3520\" data-end=\"3582\">The value of panels, mentoring and professional networks<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"3583\" data-end=\"3770\">Mentoring, teaching and involvement in professional bodies have been a big part of my career. I\u2019ve always wanted to give back, partly because I had great mentors and role models myself.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3772\" data-end=\"4115\">I\u2019ve been involved with women in architecture groups, the RIBA Architects for Change diversity group, and I served on RIBA Council. Those roles introduced me to like-minded people, many of whom are still part of my network. They\u2019re the people I call to ask what\u2019s happening in the industry, what\u2019s working, what\u2019s not. It keeps you grounded.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4117\" data-end=\"4351\">I\u2019ve also taught and examined at universities. Students are great. They\u2019re optimistic, energetic, and open. I miss how involved I was in the culture of architecture in London, and I\u2019m working on building that up again in Melbourne.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"4353\" data-end=\"4394\">Gender equity in architecture today<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_7564\" style=\"width: 1910px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7564\" class=\"wp-image-7564 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/UK-Architecture-and-Design-Market-Report-2025.png\" alt=\"Infographic from the Architecture and Design Market Report 2025 showing the gender pay gap in the UK, US, and Australia. Bar chart compares average salaries of men and women in each region, with men earning more in all cases: UK (\u00a357,000 vs \u00a353,000), US (\u00a392,000 vs \u00a388,000), Australia (\u00a362,000 vs \u00a350,000). The UK has the smallest gap at 7.3%. Includes icons of a green male figure and an orange female figure\" width=\"1900\" height=\"1069\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/UK-Architecture-and-Design-Market-Report-2025.png 1900w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/UK-Architecture-and-Design-Market-Report-2025-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/UK-Architecture-and-Design-Market-Report-2025-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/UK-Architecture-and-Design-Market-Report-2025-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/UK-Architecture-and-Design-Market-Report-2025-1536x864.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-7564\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gender pay gap in architecture and design across the UK, US, and Australia, 2025.<\/p><\/div>\n<p data-start=\"4395\" data-end=\"4628\">It\u2019s still a huge problem. And it\u2019s fragile. It doesn\u2019t take much to lose ground. A recession, a pandemic, any kind of crisis, and the first people to go are often women, minorities, or those from lower socio-economic backgrounds.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4630\" data-end=\"4813\">In the UK, I noticed a drop in diversity in student projects after fees went up. The range of ideas narrowed. That\u2019s what happens when diversity decreases. The work itself changes.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4815\" data-end=\"5060\">The conversation about diversity is broader now, but the work isn\u2019t done. It\u2019s not just about getting women into the profession, it\u2019s about keeping them, through childbirth, through the challenges of raising young children, through menopause.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"5062\" data-end=\"5422\">The gender pay gap is a good indicator of progress. If women aren\u2019t in senior roles, you don\u2019t get the full range of voices and perspectives in decision-making. And it\u2019s not just about gender. You need balance between introverts and extroverts, between different ways of thinking and speaking. We design cities for everyone, so we should look like everyone.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"5424\" data-end=\"5477\">Angela\u2019s experiences with gender discrimination<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"5478\" data-end=\"5584\">I\u2019ve made a point of working in places where I\u2019m heard. That\u2019s important to me. But bias still shows up.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"5586\" data-end=\"5766\">I remember being on site with a graduate and having all the questions directed to him, simply because he was a man. He was baffled. I had to explain, \u201cIt\u2019s because I\u2019m a woman.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"5768\" data-end=\"6018\">Australians, in my experience, also love a bit of sexual innuendo in the workplace. Sometimes I\u2019ve had to say, \u201cThis makes me uncomfortable. This isn\u2019t appropriate.\u201d I feel empowered to do that now, and I wouldn\u2019t work anywhere I couldn\u2019t speak up.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"6020\" data-end=\"6073\">Advice for young architects finding their voice<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"6074\" data-end=\"6275\">It\u2019s not just about gender, it\u2019s about all the \u201cisms.\u201d You might feel like the only person in the room who represents whatever it is you represent, whether that\u2019s age, background, or something else.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"6277\" data-end=\"6365\">Find rooms where people want to listen to you. That\u2019s been a guiding principle for me.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"6367\" data-end=\"6623\">Careers are part design, part luck, part timing. You can\u2019t control it all, but you can hold on to who you are, what you believe in, and how you want to work. For me, that\u2019s meant working in nice offices with nice people, doing architecture in a nice way.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"6625\" data-end=\"6752\">Young architects today are much better at stating what they want from a job, and I think that\u2019s great. Leaders should listen.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"6754\" data-end=\"6798\">Has her career turned out as expected?<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"6799\" data-end=\"6998\">Not at all. I didn\u2019t expect to be starting a business at this age. It feels a bit like going back to being a student. My head spinning with everything going on at once. But I\u2019m proud I\u2019ve done it.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"7000\" data-end=\"7413\">You can\u2019t gloss over the fact that it\u2019s still an architecture career. There are always projects you don\u2019t expect. One of my last at Grimshaw was a recycling centre in Edmonton. At first I thought, \u201cThat\u2019s a lot of rubbish\u201d &#8211; literally. But it turned out to be fascinating. The client was great, the team was great, and I learned a lot about processes and materials, including how bad plasterboard is for reuse.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"7415\" data-end=\"7614\">Architecture will surprise you. Even small projects can be great projects. This career hasn\u2019t unfolded the way I imagined, but I recognise myself in all of it. And that was the intention all along.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: Why are Women Walking Away From Architecture? - Angela Dapper\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"624\" height=\"351\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/episode\/3h12PKUrVAroIyEMNL4LHE\/video?si=4cb56c05be6c414f&#038;utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Angela Dapper on gender equity, landmark projects, and starting a socially focused studio &#8211; bringing big-practice skills to small community projects and finding rooms where people want to listen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":7556,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","footnotes":""},"categories":[21,68,69,22,67],"tags":[],"location":[],"class_list":["post-7553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-employers","category-jobseekers","category-podcast","category-students-and-graduates"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7553"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7553\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7568,"href":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7553\/revisions\/7568"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/media\/7556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7553"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/location?post=7553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}