AWA+D is committed to its mission to advance and support women in the allied fields of architecture and design. To advocate for equality in the field of architecture we wrote a letter to the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) with specific suggestions that we believe would greatly improve the number of licensed women. Thank you to all our collaborators and contributors who helped with this letter.

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Dear NCARB Representatives:

We, the Association for Women in Architecture and Design (AWA+D), are writing to insist that equity gaps within the licensure process be addressed and removed to increase the number of licensed women identified individuals in efforts create equal access to the Architecture profession. An equitable licensure process is the key to inclusive professional advancement in our profession. We cannot continue to be underrepresented; thus, we urge you to act beyond surveying strategies and create a tangible and accessible process that can be measured and will be inclusive to all women and underrepresented communities.

The unfortunate truth is that the wage gap for women still exists. In combination with discrimination and systemic injustices facing many women, and disproportionally affecting women of color, economic hurdles are a significant reason for our absence from the profession. According to narrowthegap.co: “Women who worked in architecture and engineering occupations made 85 cents to the dollar men earned in 2020. That’s $244 out of a weekly payc