Social Ecosystem of Architectural Design in the Discourse of Women Architects in Japan

Abstract

In Japan, the architect's profile has changed in the last decades, with a steady increase in women practitioners. Meanwhile, the intersection between gender and architecture remains scarcely explored. This paper aims to show how gender influences the architectural profession by taking as a case study the Gallery IHA Autumn Lectures 2018, a series of lectures by female architects organized and held by women under the theme "exploring the architect's social ecosystem ". A comparative analysis of the discourse of six female architects working in Tokyo showed how to overcome gender barriers in the profession through diversifying and democratizing architectural practices.

Jiyūgaoka as Women’s Realm: A Case Study on Tokyo Genderfication

“…While disciplines like sociology or geography have explored the relations between urban conditions and gender roles in Japanese society, 13 the fields of architecture and urbanism have overlooked this analysis. 14 In Japan, the separation of productive and reproductive spheres, represented by a business downtown of breadwinners and a residential suburban area of homemakers, consolidated during the rapid economic growth after the Second World War. The sociologist Emiko Ochiai traces its roots back to the Taisho Period (1912)(1913)(1914)(1915)(1916)(1917)(1918)(1919)(1920)(1921)(1922)(1923)(1924)(1925)(1926)) just when rapid industrialization followed First World War:…”