Syracuse University professor Lori Brown is working to change the culture of women in the architecture industry by editing Wikipedia articles.

As a co-leader of ArchiteXX, a female architecture group in New York, she is working with several collaborations to organize a world-wide effort to write more women into Wikipedia through multiple edit-a-thons, one of which is taking place Oct. 15 at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. The architecture professor said there is a huge gender imbalance within the world of Wikipedia, whether it be the writing, editing or simply the within the content matter of the website.

The edit-a-thon was designed with the intention of establishing credibility and a greater presence of women throughout Wikipedia, both within the field of architecture and beyond. Brown spoke with The Daily Orange to talk about the edit-a-thon, her life as an architect and women in architecture.

The Daily Orange: What makes Wikipedia a good place to start changing the way people think about women?

Lori Brown: Wikipedia is such a resource, and although we never cite from it, it is the first go-to that everyone uses, so it is very imperative that we add more women in. I really had no idea how few women are in there.

The D.O.: In your career as a female architect, have you experienced bias?

L.B.: Of course. I won’t say so much in the office, but when on job sites as a junior architect there were times where contractors or construction workers wouldn’t take me as seriously. Even when I was working for a female architect, she had to go into projects with a certain attitude in order for them to take her seriously.

The D.O.: Would you say there is a lack of women in the field of architecture as a whole?

L.B.: At the upper levels and as licensed architects, yes, there is a lack of female presence. There is almost gender parody among our students, but our faculty has a long way to go. Once students graduate and work toward their license, there are far less women that are licensed than men. This is a real concern; women opt out for a number of reasons and at a much higher rate than men.

The D.O: Do you think this Wikipedia edit-a-thon project will perpetuate change in the right direction?

L.B.: I would love to hope that it would, but if it can just put more information out there about women architects that would be a huge public service, not only to our discipline but to the general public as a whole. Progress could happen sporadically, which would be great.

The D.O: What is the most exciting aspect of the Wikipedia edit-a-thon?

L.B.: The edit-a-thon has really excited a number of ages, which has been great. It introduces the idea of writing history differently, and to have one gender that hasn’t been as well represented begin to be more represented is such an important thing to be participating in.

The D.O.: What are some things that you love about the field of architecture?

Published on October 15, 2015 at 12:40 am

contact:alodonne@syr.edu