Women have made incredible progress in joining the workforce, fighting for equal pay, and rising to the top of their fields. But some career paths have more progress left to make than others.
While we have been making huge strides in the country to narrow the gender gap, women are still underrepresented in male dominated professions. Hence, professionals in the built environment must be diverse in order to make a significant contribution to their communities.
The built environment is a large, diverse and exciting industry with traditional areas such as construction, architecture, land surveying and the list goes on!
Now more than ever, it has become vital for universities to provide diverse and inclusive learning opportunities; to break down gender barriers and encourage young women to join the architecture workforce as the ratio of them enrolling in architecture studies and taking it up as a profession is concerning.
As a pioneer in widening access to education, Heriot-Watt University (HWU) has been promoting inclusivity and diversity since its inception.
Recently, Heriot-Watt University Malaysia had created a LIVE session titled “Built Environment 4.0: Moving towards Diversity, Inclusivity & Sustainability”, which was hosted by Premesh Chandran, Co-Founder of Malaysiakini and guest panelists, Professor Ir. Dr. Satesh Namasivayam, Head, School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society, Architect (Dr) Serina Hijjas, Leading Architect in Malaysia and Komalah Selva, Alumni of Heriot-Watt University Malaysia as they address the barriers women face today in male-dominated professions in the built industry towards improving the built environment industry for the betterment of the nation.
Encouraging women to stay in the built environment field
Dr. Serina pointed out that she has witnessed the challenges women face in their personal and professional lives. Those firsthand experiences, coupled with the support of her parents, have laid the foundation for her belief that women need to pave their own paths to success.
There’s nothing we can’t accomplish if we set our minds to it. There will be challenges along the way, but every encounter makes you wiser and more experienced.
Komalah explained there is a popular term for the attrition of women in the built environment known as the “leaky pipes”. This phenomena occurs when they feel they are not fit to progress in their built environment career, so they tend to disappear to pursue other fields. To avoid this phenomenon from recurring, young girls should be encouraged that they can be equally successful in any profession that they are passionate about.
According to Dr. Satesh, visible female role models are critical in encouraging women into the profession. We can showcase the successes that will help guide them, and show that it’s something achievable.
Barriers women face today in built environment professions
Unconscious bias, left unchecked, blind promotion or transparent career mappingcan permeate the workplace and present barriers to women advancing in their built environment professions. Workplaces must be inclusive and adaptive to ensure women want to stay.
Encouraging gender diversity and inclusion is for the benefit of everyone. It helps bring fresh ideas and unique perspectives to the development of our living spaces.
Purpose-driven women leaders continue to forge ahead at Heriot-Watt University
As Malaysia moves towards a more inclusive and sustainable high-income nation, the University is committed to increasing the percentage of female students in the built environment industry.
In addition, its accredited world-class programmes, developed based on the needs of real-world businesses and industries, are carefully tuned to the needs of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, ensuring a career-relevant education.
“Heriot-Watt University education system is also beyond an academic-based structure as it also involves hands-on experience and technical background where students can gain more experience,” said Komalah.
Learning beyond classrooms
Collaborations with business and industry are at the heart of Heriot-Watt. Dr. Satesh explained that through the university’s Industry Immersion Programme, students are exposed to valuable industry exposure and skills. The university also provides initiatives such as the Empower Programme which is aimed at future-proofing their graduates, to unleash their potential and to prepare them to stand out and have an impact in a highly uncertain world.
For more information on Heriot-Watt University Malaysia, you can visit HERE.
Watch the replay of the LIVE session HERE.
