CALLING FOR CHANGE: THE VOICES LEADING AUSTRALIA’S GREEN TRANSITION - a summary of the 2020 NAWIC IWD Scholarship Research Report by Sarah Lawlor Senior Architect, fjmt studio & 2020 NAWIC IWD Scholarship Winner
Momentum is building. In the midst of a global pandemic, people across the world are demanding action on a range of issues, demonstrated by climate strikes, Women’s March for Justice and Black Lives Matter. Each of these social movements advocate for equity and widespread mobilization and demonstrate a challenge to the system in which these interlinked crises are evident. It was in this context I commenced my NAWIC International Women’s Day (IWD) Scholarship research, exploring diversity and representation in environmental leadership in the built environment industry. My project drew together the imperative for the construction industry to act on climate change and the diversity necessary to ensure innovative and representative leadership in this space. In the same way that the business case for gender representation in leadership has been proven over the last few decades to improve business profitability, my research was based on a broader premise that diversity in sustainability leadership must surely similarly help organisations improve other business goals beyond just profit, including sustainability goals. My project built on an increasing body of research globally around women and sustainability, such as the UN Environment Programme, which identified ‘women in environmental decision-making at all levels’ to be one of four priority areas, arguing that diverse representation in decision-making is vital to sound policy and action. As part of my research, I recorded interviews with a number of sustainability leaders in the built environment, including Architects Declare spokesperson Caroline Pidcock, who echoed the UN Environment Programme goal when she talked about “building a coalition of voices.” Caroline spoke about the danger of an elite group setting the targets, where a small number of voices dictate, that perhaps aren’t representative of the broader majority of us who want a better future. 12
The construction industry is responsible for a significant portion of Australia’s carbon emissions. It also continues to be male-dominated and my IWD research looked at whether this trend extends to the sustainability roles within it. What my research uncovered is a diverse sustainability sector, in which women participate at higher levels than in other areas of the built environment. I found that gender representation in sustainability was fairly balanced, with significant representation of women in leadership positions role-modelling and encouraging increased participation of women in the industry. There are a number of factors contributing to strong participation in sustainability by women. Evident in the sector is an interconnectedness between environmental and social aims, with diversity seen as fundamental to sustainability. The sustainability field demonstrates practices that support diversity, including flexibility, mentoring and a commitment to social equity. It is also a broad, multidisciplinary field, allowing for various avenues to enter the industry and a breadth of the talent pipeline. As a relatively new field with a culture distinct from the maledominated construction or engineering sectors, sustainability seems unburdened by the inequalities of gender stereotypes and rigid hierarchical structures that have been historically evident in other areas of the built environment. However, sustainability has its own challenges in interacting with the established structures of the construction industry, where problematic and often gendered perceptions of the sustainability field are evident, such as in its perception as a ‘soft’ field, with connotations of nurturing or ‘greenie’ types. Each of these perceptions is concerning, as they undermine and devalue the sustainability field, reducing the efficacy of sustainability outcomes in the built environment. A number of participants in my research referred to sustainability being seen as
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