Moving Towards a Equitable Profession and Taking Time to Pause

By: Laura Casaccio, AIA | Associate, CICADA Architecture/Planning, Inc. & EDI Co-Chair

There’s so much to celebrate this month. It’s incredible to witness the expression of Pride Month. And the federal recognition of Juneteenth at least feels like progress. And also, as a woman in architecture who is a year postpartum and transitioning into a more leadership role, it’s been top of mind to consider how we can continue to advocate for a more equitable profession.

Women and minorities have so many more opportunities today, and for that I am grateful. I’ve also experienced, and heard from many colleagues over the past few years, that the pressure to step into various leadership positions as a woman and/or minority can feel exhausting and lead to burn out. Lately I’ve been wondering how to acknowledge the strides in equal opportunities while also holding space for these realities. Even though I’m not sure what the answer is, pausing to wonder feels important as a first step to notice, see and name the obstacles that get in the way of further advancing equity.  

Our profession inherently seems to struggle in implementing the Practice of the Pause. Personally, I find it difficult to build into my daily life. The billable hour pay structure in architecture presents challenges in creating space for reflection. It becomes part of the culture to hustle and make every hour count towards relentless productivity. The idea of slowing down = income loss.  But how can we move towards an equitable profession, and disrupt the status quo, without slowing down and pausing? My hope is that by remembering to Pause, we can continue to cultivate environments where every architect regardless of background or identity can thrive and contribute to a profession that truly reflects the diversity of our world.