“AIA’s membership demographics are shifting,” said AIA President Kimberly N. Dowdell, AIA, NOMAC. “We are seeing more women and people of color join our ranks as we approach our goal of reaching 100,000 members this year. Our industry has made some progress in terms of inclusion, but we understand that we have a long way to go. This is why one of the AIA’s key strategic goals alongside climate action for human and ecological health is racial, ethnic and gender equity. I’m proud of the work AIA is doing to move the needle, but it is clear that we must do more.”

According to AIA’s 2023 Membership Demographics report, “AIA reached a historic membership high of 98,743 members at the end of last year. Women now account for 26.8 percent of the total membership. The number of female licensed architects is 27 percent, according to the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) By the Numbers 2024 report. Over 40 percent of the Associate Architects membership category are now women, indicating a strong potential pipeline of future licensed professionals. This correlates with NCARB’s reports that 46 percent of their licensure population were women, an increase over the past five years. For the first time, women Associate members achieved near parity with their male counterparts in obtaining their license—49.9 percent in 2023. Comparatively, NCARB reported that 44 percent of those who completed the Architect Registration Exam (ARE) in 2022 were women. Representation of underrepresented racial and ethnic groups also increased, growing from 12.2 percent in 2013 to 17.9 percent in 2023.”

 

 

Two of the New Jersey women in attendance, Jessica O’Donnell and Libertad (Lauren) Harris, presented a sold-out seminar on building resilience for long-term success in architecture. The session focused on the vital role of networking and mentorship in fostering career resilience and growth. 

 

The event underscored the Mission of the AIA New Jersey Women in Architecture Committee, which is dedicated to