International Women's Day 2021 - Apeksha Wimalaweera

#ChoosetoChallenge - Apeksha Wimalaweera

The theme for International Women’s Day 2021, #ChoosetoChallenge, resonates with me on a personal level, being a female Architect in a leadership position and within a male-dominated industry, at times I feel the glass ceiling is so out of reach.

As a manager of a studio that includes bright and talented inspiring women I think it is important to speak up about inequality when we see it, hear it and experience it, as well as embrace examples of equality, because if it stays hidden the world is never really going to change.

I have had some great female and male mentors who have inspired and empowered me to take that next step in my career and without any sense of gender bias, which unfortunately has been a constant in my developing career. It can be disheartening to work alongside fellow male colleagues who have been able to take the next step that much quicker while female friends and mentors have, over the last decade, been continually subjected to gender bias, particularly when they became mothers.

International Women’s Day is a day to embrace the roles of all women in the professional industry, celebrate our achievements but also to call for better gender inclusivity.

Apeksha (second from right), with Sydney studio staff

In Australia, during the height of the global pandemic (2020), women were and continue to be disproportionately impacted with the expectation to successfully juggle work and life. Women who are leaders and mothers were thrust into multiple full-time roles as they worked from home, to not only meet their employer’s expectations but their children’s. This drive to reach a balance has painted the picture of ‘doubt’ for many women, often impacting their careers, while they question ‘how can I successfully manage both roles?’.

Businesses as a whole need to do more to invest in targeting gender inclusivity on the path to equality; this needs to be embedded in their mission statement, prioritised in their business plan, and actioned within their practice.

If you are in a position to make a change within your business; when choosing the next person to take on a role, to lead or to represent your team, if your doubts are based on ‘gender bias’, because they are a woman, a mother, too young, too old, I challenge you to put them aside and choose the best person based on skill, knowledge and drive to deliver. Words such as leader, confidence, and ability have no gender unless we allow ourselves to associate them with it.

Today, and tomorrow, while you’re sitting in your workplace, take a moment and look around you, and really look at the gender inequality in your teams, particularly with female leadership. If you’re in a position to do something about that, #ChoosetoChallenge starts with you and starts now!

APEKSHA WIMALAWEERA, Sydney Studio Manager