A Sector Still Playing Catch‑Up
Despite progress, women remain underrepresented across Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC). But slowly, things are changing.
Let’s start with the UK:
- Just 15% of the UK construction workforce is female.
- In engineering, women account for 16.5% of roles - up from 10.5% a decade ago.
- And while 31% of ARB-registered architects are women, 38% of architects in AJ100 practices are female - a sign that large practices are making faster progress than the profession as a whole.
📊 AJ100 Gender Data: Architects by Gender (2018–2024)
As AJ’s post AJ100 Award Magazine reports:
“Women now account for 2,915 (or 38%) of all architects employed in the UK within the cohort, which is 155 higher in absolute numbers, and one percentage point higher as a proportion of the total compared with last year.”
Globally, similar trends appear, with equally stubborn ceilings:
- Canada: 14% of the construction workforce is female; only 13% of licensed engineers are women.
- Australia: 15% of construction jobs and 14% of engineering roles are held by women.
- South Africa: Just 11% of the construction workforce and 13% of registered engineers are women.
Even architecture, often seen as the most gender-diverse of the three, shows steep drop-offs between education and practice. While women make up nearly 50% of architecture students in many countries, only 30–38% go on to register or remain in the profession long-term.
A major 2023 report by RIBA and the Fawcett Society highlighted one cause:
“60% of professional women leave their organisation within a year of returning from maternity leave.”
Progress isn’t just about intake. It’s about retention, opportunity, and visibility.
Celebrating the 2025 Trailblazers
The AJ100 Awards 2025 spotlighted women-led excellence across the profession:
Employer of the Year: Collective Architecture
- 85% of the leadership team are women
- 60% of the board are women
- Offers six months’ maternity leave at 90% pay, from day one
“Staff are entitled to generous employee benefits from day one, including six months’ maternity leave at 90 percent pay followed by six months at standard maternity pay.” - Pamela Buxton, AJ100 Magazine
New Talent – Part 1: Jemma Ho
“Her entrepreneurial spirit and pursuit of tackling what is a shortcoming in the built environment is something we see huge potential in… She has the capacity to push the profession forward.” - Emily Booth, AJ100 Magazine
New Talent – Part 2: Elizabeth Akamo
“She has strong values which she’s translating into practice processes and encouraging the next generation of practitioners to follow her example… a serious thought leader admired for her open-mindedness, holistic and creative approach, and her determination to include everyone.” - Will Hurst, AJ100 Magazine
These aren’t just individual wins, they represent a shift in mindset across the sector. Diverse leadership is being recognised as essential to building a better built environment.
Inside Fresh Projects
At Fresh Projects, we know operational tools aren’t just about profitability, they’re about enabling better practice. And behind our platform is a team of women driving that change from the inside.
Aimee Smith – Head of Customer Success
Bringing clarity and support to firms navigating complex project workflows.
“Everyone benefits when we work in diverse industries and teams. Different mindsets, different skill sets, when we bring them together, the results are always better. It’s not about ticking boxes, it’s about building better outcomes through broader perspectives.”
Shona Troost – Project Manager
Championing thoughtful implementation across varied client needs.
“AEC firms solve varied and complex challenges. Women contribute significantly to the diversity of thought leadership, experience, and approach required to design and implement these solutions sustainably and ethically.”
Danielle Wilson – Content & Social Media Manager
Championing the voices of real practitioners and spotlighting underrepresented stories.
“If you ask someone to describe an architect or an engineer, they’ll likely picture a man. That’s the cultural default we’re challenging. Women have always had the skillsets, the shift now is that those skills are finally being seen, respected, and valued in the professions they’ve long contributed to.”
Caitlyn Thompson - Customer success Manager
“I believe women bring fresh thinking that leads to smarter, more inclusive design. If the built environment is for everyone, the people shaping it should reflect that. Diversity in the industry isn’t a nice-to-have - it’s what drives progress.”
Whether they’re guiding firms through onboarding, managing implementation, or redefining how the industry communicates, these women are helping make AEC more efficient, more human, and more equitable.
Diana Dingley - Head of People & Finance:
Ivona Milanova-Thomaides - Head of Product:
What AEC Firms Can Do Next
Representation doesn’t improve by accident, it improves through strategy.
Here’s one starting point: look at your internal data.
How do staffing patterns differ by gender? Who gets assigned to the most profitable projects? Who’s being mentored or promoted, and who’s not?
Many AEC firms aren’t lacking intent, they’re lacking visibility.
💡 Value-add tip:
Use your resourcing and profitability data to ask diversity questions, not just financial ones.
At Fresh Projects, our platform helps firms track the metrics that matter most: project performance, resource utilisation, and team workload. But those same tools can reveal structural blind spots:
- Are women carrying more non-billable admin work?
- Are your highest-value projects distributed equitably?
- Are progression paths transparent across roles?
Improving inclusion doesn’t start with policy. It starts with awareness.
“Use operational insights to assess fairness , not just finances.”
And the benefits are real: studies show that companies with high gender diversity are 25% more likely to outperform their peers financially. Equity is good business.
The latest AJ100 Awards remind us what progress looks like:
Women in leadership. Thoughtful policies. Empowered new voices.
At Fresh Projects, we’re proud to stand alongside practices pushing for a more inclusive AEC industry and to be shaped by the women in our own team who are helping lead that charge.
Diversity isn’t a side conversation. It’s central to how we build better.