The position of women in surveying

Chartered surveyors provide professional advice on all aspects of land use and development. Only 3% of surveyors are women, but they comprise over 15% of students. This study Investigates surveyors' attitudes towards women In the profession and society, and the implications for the nature of the built environment. A theoretical basis and model are developed, centred around the concept of a surveying subculture. The historical development of women's position In surveying is traced. The present day nature of surveying education and practice is Investigated based on a qualitative sociological approach, using ethnographic methods and unstructured Interviewing. Examples from these sources are used to build up an image of the subculture, to highlight conceptual linkages, and to illustrate the processes which determine women's vertical and horizontal progression and role, emphasising all the "little" occurrences, which are the building blocks of the subcultural edifice vis-a-vis women. Whilst these spatial (social) factors are central in influencing what is built, surveyors' "spatial" attitudes to different land uses are also considered. The male majority obviously has the greater Influence on the built environment, but it was found that "more" women entering does not necessarily mean "better" or "different". Class could be as significant as gender: those who are the "right type" may be described as bourgeois feminist who seek to succeed in a man's world rather than alter It. Changes must be made within the organisational structure of the profession to enable more women to reach senior positions, and In surveyors’ attitudes towards women and their needs. In order to alter the nature of the built environment for the benefit of women, whilst acknowledging the need to take fully into account the differences between and among women, as well as between men and women.