More To Life Than Shoes

As Mattell launch Architect Barbie, complete with statement glasses and pink drawing caddy case, MTLTS member Jules wonders why more women aren't building careers in buildings. 

On Wednesday, I went along to a talk called Women and Sustainability in Architecture, part of a series of talks and seminars at the yearly Ecobuild exhibition. The talk featured four women architects, one of whom was the architect-turned-writer Elizabeth Farrelly, author of best-selling book Blubberland.
 

Each speaker had the difficult task of trying to link their talk to sustainable architecture, at the same time as telling their story of being successful as a woman in a male dominated industry.

With a current initiative running to get the male/female architect ratio, (currently 17 in every 100) to 50/50 by 2020, organisers were hoping to shed some light on why women are so under represented in the industry, and why those who do get in through the door often leave.

What I noticed was that they were comfortable and proud to be talking about their built work, showing off their collective years of work through a series of slides. They went into detail about sustainability, explaining how the users would be able to live and work there for many years, how they used recycled materials, how they got their buildings to respond to the elements.

But, interestingly, they were less comfortable talking about ‘Being a Woman Architect’. There were no axes to grind against chauvinist bosses, no lamenting that they had lost a commission because they were women. They had simply done what they felt compelled to do and when the culture of the office they had been working at didn’t fit, had gone out on their own to do things on their own terms.

So why aren’t there more female architects?

In my opinion, initiatives such as '50:50 by 2020' and the example of Architect Barbie, about to be launched by Mattell, are well-meaning but are missing the point. It isn’t about ‘empowering’ women to take on a traditionally male role. The reasons women don’t practice are probably much more prosaic. Low pay (surprisingly, architects aren't guarenteed high paid) and long hours which are at odds with raising a family.

I took inspiration from the discussion though. The important thing, as with anything in life,   is to find the meaning in what you do. I have been thinking a lot about what drew me to the architecture profession in the first place. It wasn’t the moneym, or the kudos. It was the desire to make things better. At a time when my working landscape is changing due to having a young child, it is hugely heartening to be reminded that following your convictions will take you where you need to be.

Julia Burden is an RIBA qualified architect who has recently started up Ver Architecture in order to work on both domestic and commercial projects in the Hertfordshire area.

MTLTS member Belinda talks about her passion for her job in the wine industry, and her mission to educate women about wine

I'm a huge fan of Stylist magazine, especially Lucy Mangan's Out Spoken column. I think we have some things in common. Last week she expressed her dismay at other people's reaction to her not taking her husband’s name. As I prepare for my own wedding, I'm experiencing the same looks of bemusement and pity (the first at me, the second at him). Her column this week is equally poignant: it's about her dislike of people who proudly proclaim their ignorance of certain things. "Why be proud of your lack of knowledge about anything!" As a wine professional, I’m always amazed at how excited people get when they hear I work in the wine trade. But their enthusiasm is frequently followed by a confession of how little they know about the subject!

Wine isn’t a trade I ever had on my list as a little girl. Vet, nurse, ballerina... wine taster? I think of it more as a trade that I was made for. Some people just are, aren’t they? Nurses are instinctively caring; artists have built-in creative flare. As for me, I was born with a nose on the wrong side of dainty, but that happens to be the perfect shape for stuffing in a wine glass and absorbing the bouquet! So there you go.

But like most things, wine isn’t something you inherently know about. After all you’re not supposed to have tried it for the first 18 years of your life! No, it’s something I’ve had to learn about, read up on and study. I’ve taken my wine exams (yes they do exist and they’re surprisingly tough!) and I’ve worked in the wine trade since I graduated 10 years ago.

Now I’m completely drenched in wine, so to speak! I spend my days and evenings talking about it, at work, at play, online and in person. It’s my profession, my hobby and my passion. And whenever I talk to people about it, more often than not I find out that it’s not just me. It’s a subject loads of you enjoy, but it seems many of you don’t know as much about it as you’d like. So why is it normally such a silent subject?

I’m on a mission to uncover the underlying passion I think so many of you have about wine. To crank up enthusiasm, I’m preparing to launch ‘The Thinking Girls Guide to Wine’. My mission is to get more people talking about wine. I want people to consider what wine they drink with as much thought as they would give to the dish they chose to eat in a restaurant or the clothes they put on in the morning. This is an Oz Clark and James May-free zone! I’d love to hear what the MTLTS community would like to know more about, so please let me know your thoughts.
 
* Do you count the calories every time you have a glass of wine? Would you   like to know once and for all how guilty you should (or shouldn’t!) feel for having that second glass?

* Do you ever wonder why £6 is the new £5 when it comes to buying a bottle?

* Do you want to confidently order from the wine list at a client lunch?

* Old habits die hard; do you need encouragement to step outside of your wine comfort zone?

Just a few thoughts to get things started. I can’t wait to hear from you.

Merci mes amies :)
Belinda

Mum of three Louise Marley is the co-founder of Beauty Connection, specialists in lovely smellies for the home. She told us how her passion for business at a young age led to setting up her own company.

Louise Marley runs the successful fragrance company Beauty Connection, and she told us about her journey to becoming her own boss. Louise always knew that she wanted to run her own business. “I come from a family of entrepreneurs. My father ran a very successful business and I was encouraged from an early age to think like an entrepreneur.” And Louise certainly started out on her journey early! “I was twelve when I set up my first business with my sister – buying wild welsh ponies, breaking them, competing with them and then selling for a profit. We loved that feeling of achievement doing a job we both loved, training ponies that went on to become some other little girl’s dream.”

But once she’d left school, Louise decided that she needed more experience before diving in at the deep end and starting her own business full time. “Business is in my blood and I always knew I wanted my own company. I decided to work towards that, studying for a BA in Business Studies, then working for five years to gain valuable experience with blue-chip companies including St Ivel & Marks & Spencers.”

Louise has always been very clear on her ambitions and how to achieve them. “I have always had an overall plan for my journey in my head, so that when it comes to a big decision or change, I know I’m heading in the right direction. I wanted to be there for my children when they were young, so I set up a marketing consultancy for seven years so I was working for myself.”

Being her own boss suited Louise, but it wasn’t until she felt the time was right that she decided to start her own business. "When the kids were older I decided to take the big plunge and launched Beauty Connection, and I’ve been paddling my own canoe ever since.”

Louise’s business idea was born out of a passion for the power of the sense of smell! “My dream was to provide people with products and experiences that would enhance their life and living space, even if only in a small way. The sense of smell is our most powerful sense, and it can instantly influence our emotions. Using natural fragrances at home can really boost your well-being. The world’s a stressful place, and creating your own oasis of calm at home can make you feel safe and relaxed. Scenting your home and zoning your living space into relaxing, energizing, reflective areas can really benefit you and your family. So I set up Beauty Connection, selling beautiful scented candles and other fragrance products – a little bit of luxury at an affordable price.”

Running a business at the same time as raising her kids has not always been plain sailing for Louise. “I’m a mum of three, all aged between fifteen and twenty. Surviving their teenage years deserves a medal in itself. My kids are my best critics – or as they say, they help keep it real! My dream has always been to run my own life, balancing my commitments as a businesswomen, mum and wife. Now the children are older I find it difficult to remember how I ever got through all the demands made on me – particularly in the holidays or when they needed me because they were ill or just wanted a proud parent on the side lines. I did it with fantastically supportive husband, parents, in-laws, friends and children with a sense of humour and a sense of independence.”

Louise’s advice for other mums thinking of starting their own businesses is simple:

• Make sure it is your dream and not someone else’s.
• Be prepared for hard work and little sleep - particularly in the early days.
• Keep calm and don’t panic – nothing is ever insurmountable.
• Rely on friends and family – if people are prepared to give you a shoulder to lean on make sure you lean on it!
• Believe in what you do and be proud of your business, your staff and of course your products or services!
• Pick your staff with care they are your greatest asset and they will make the difference.
• Smile and be pleasant – getting on with people helps.
• Be flexible and be prepared to compromise.

Beauty Connection products can be viewed at www.acassa.co.uk.

Sarah Paulger, 31, is a flower farmer from the Isles of Scilly and she loves her job. Becoming a flower farmer had never occured to us before ... we're slightly concerned that this article could cause people to jack in their jobs immediately. Maybe it should carry some sort of warning?!