Certain household items we take for granted, like dominant kitchens, porches and ventilation systems can be attributed to women. In those times, things like birthing rooms and private workers quarters were also considered and designed by women. Even women that are in agricultural related careers have to keep in mind that ventilation systems were designed by women for the purpose of making butter.
Since women have always played a crucial role in the rural farm families of American history, their contributions have led many of them to jobs that involve planning, architecture and agriculture. Women were central to organizing, canning, baking, harvesting fruits and vegetables and keeping the farmsteads organized. This American history of the 19th century has led the way to many women becoming interested in architect jobs, planner jobs and agricultural related careers, due to this background.
Most women architects were not known for their slick, elegant designs, but were architects and planners of households that were built for efficiency and function, especially as it applied to the needs of farmsteads and agriculture. Many families in Midwest America have found these farmhouses, private quarters and large kitchens remain important contributions, more so than glass houses that serve no real functional purpose, but are known as significant architectural contributions.
Famous and forgotten women architects might include Baghdad born Zaha Hadid, the first woman to win a Pritzker Architecture Prize or Maya Lin, the winning designer of the Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. There are many others like Marion Mahony Griffin, Julia Morgan, Eileen Gray, Denise Scott Brown, Norma Merrick Sklarek, Sasana Toree and Anna Keichline, who are modern women of all races and backgrounds that have contributed to the designing, planning and architectural fields.
Since women can often be the mothers and wives in households, they are involved in the planning, design and architectural fields because of household organization skills. Agricultural related careers are natural fields of occupation for many women that are born and raised on family farms, even though they may be far removed from them now and living in urban areas. Forgotten women designers are still a great influence in many career fields including architect jobs and planner jobs, as well.
If you are a woman entering any of these fields, it is important to draw on any experiences and designs that are accomplishments related to these occupations. Remember, if you are going into occupations like agricultural related careers, it is helpful to highlight backgrounds of being born and raised on a farmstead, for example. Even accomplishments in architecture and planning can be mentioned in cover letters or resumes if they are somewhat related, such as project management, production improvements made on a job or making a place more functional and efficient. Forgotten women designers have made a great contribution to modern comforts and architecture, from agricultural backgrounds.
