Sexism is rife, says top female architect
SHe is twice winner of the coveted Stirling Prize for architecture, famous for her spaceage creations, and is arguably the world’s mostfeted female architect.
But for all flamboyant designer Dame Zaha Hadid’s numerous achievements, she still battles with modern chauvinism.
Hadid, 64, whose award-winning futuristic works include the aquatics Centre for London’s 2012 olympics and the maXXi museum of contemporary art and architecture in rome, claims everyday sexism is rife in her industry.
‘Sexist comments are made in my industry all the time — all the time,’ she tells me. ‘i don’t get it personally so much now, i had it more when i was younger, but it’s still bad.’
Hadid, who was speaking at a party for jeweller De Beers, adds: ‘They don’t even have to make a remark — they just behave in a certain way. Certain behaviour happens and you know they would never do it with a man.
‘They think they can get to you or talk about you in a very nasty way; a lot of people do it. Women are entrenched in some sort of male bias.
‘it’s changed a lot in the past 30 years — it’s better, but it’s not perfect. at least now people don’t think women always have to put up with it, but before there was a thing that we must. Generally, it is much better for women in the professional world now — americans especially have a lot more women in the education system. many of the deans in schools are women.
‘i think they’re more advanced in america than here because there are more women in the professional world. They have more women running their offices and more women in the teaching profession — a lot more.
‘There are women teaching here, but they’re not necessarily the head of a school or a dean or a president of a university.’