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The quote above, by PSMJ researcher and consultant Jared Jamison, expresses a sentiment one would expect virtually every design firm to agree with. However, as we know, such parity hasn’t been the case traditionally, particularly when it comes to gender.

Fast Fast Forward (FFF) checked in with Jamison to discuss the data he’s seen concerning gender pay equity and the analyses firms can use to assess where they stand. We also spoke to two practitioners who are deeply involved in their firms’ efforts to achieve and maintain gender pay equity.

FFF: Jared, what’s your working definition of gender pay equity?
Jared Jamison: It means you’ve eliminated gender discrimination from your firm’s wage-setting system. This is more important than ever, because of the renewed focus on pay equity among men and women. But no matter what the social climate, it’s the right thing to do.

FFF: In addition to meeting any statutory or compliance requirements, how do firms benefit from paying men and women equitably?
In a super-tight labor market, you want to hang onto your staff, right? You also want them to feel valued and engaged. You’re not going to get there if your people feel they’re not being compensated fairly.

FFF: How large a gender pay gap exists in the design industry?
As one example, in 2020, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found an 18-percent pay gap between men and women in the architecture and engineering professions (Figure 1, below).

FFF: How does a firm determine whether it has a gender pay gap?
To begin, you need to use data and analysis to see whether you have any unconscious bias because it’s a very real thing. That’s something the data can reveal. You also need to go beyond the objective data because there are lots of moving parts to consider. For instance, who has taken time off during their careers to raise a family, care for an aging parent, or serve in the military? But at least to begin your exploration, there are several different ways to analyze the data.

For one, you can look at turnover rates among men and women and see if there’s a difference according to gender (Figure 2). Another way is to graph the salaries of all men and all women in the firm by years of experience and look for inconsistencies [Figure 3]. You can also analyze by position. See how many men and women you have in each position description and the average salaries for each group and then look for differences [Figure 4]. These kinds of analyses will help you zero in on where you might have an issue.

FFF: Which of these methods does PSMJ suggest firms use?
We usually suggest another method. We recommend comparing salaries for people in the same position, taking into account each person’s degree, years of relevant experience, geographic location, and performance [Figure 5]. If you see differences in pay according to gender that can’t be explained by those four factors, then maybe there is unconscious bias at play. I like to say that these analyses don’t point to answers as much as point to questions.

One practitioner who’s analyzing her firm’s data and looking for both questions and answers is Sarah Lindenfeld, architect and managing principal at Payette, a 170-person architectural firm in Boston specializing in science and engineering buildings and healthcare facilities.

“We began looking at gender pay equity years ago,” Lindenfeld says. “We’ve established a pattern where we look at the data year-round and do a thorough analysis at the end of each calendar year.”

Payette looks at each staff category to see if there is any imbalance based on gender. “If there is, we make sure we know the reason behind it,” Lindenfeld says. “For instance, if we’ve just promoted a group of associates, the majority of whom are women, then naturally there’s going to be some discrepancy there. But if we were to come across an imbalance we couldn’t explain, then we’d figure out whether there was implicit bias and work to eliminate it.”

“It’s just good business when you have policies that staff perceive as fair and appropriate...”

Lindenfeld believes in the power of gender pay equity to benefit not only individual staff but also the firm as a whole. “It’s just good business when you have policies that staff perceive as fair and appropriate,” she says. “I don’t want the firm to have a cycle of people leaving, and policies that work toward employee retention are inherently good for us.”

Since individuals often receive pay increases as a result of taking on increased responsibilities, Payette sees to it that men and women are provided equal opportunities for gaining new skill sets. “We have staffing meetings every week during which we review the project teams and make sure everyone’s being challenged,” Lindenfeld says. “When we review all staff for promotions, if we don’t have enough information about someone’s skills and performance, then we confidentially speak with senior staff who have worked directly with the candidate. We don’t want to overlook people without the loudest voices.”

Another practitioner working to ensure women have the same opportunities as their male counterparts is Laura Plosz, principal and architect at Group2 Architecture and Interior Design, a five-studio, 50-person firm leading and supporting collaborative projects across Canada. “Four of our seven principals are women, so it’s only natural that we acknowledge the importance of gender pay equity,” she says. “We want to prevent women from experiencing the kind of inequity we encountered as young architects and designers entering the profession.”

That also means making sure women have the same chances for advancement as men, which Group2 has tried to ensure when staffing project teams. “Through our project resourcing work, we’re offering our young female staff equal opportunities, for example, to get out to project sites and develop the construction administration skill sets required to become a registered architect,” Plosz says.

Like Payette, Group2 does a major review of compensation yearly. One analysis the firm performs involves ranking each person in terms of years of experience. “We rank everyone in terms of their experience and look for an equitable compensation pattern,” Plosz says. “We also re-order the data in several ways to see whether we’re achieving a range of goals, including gender pay equity.”

If a problem is identified, Plosz says they dig in to determine the reason for it. “We want to uncover any unconscious bias that may play a role and remove it,” she says. “We might also find that the reason has to do with the type of experience or skill set a person has. We then discuss how to help that person develop the right skills so we can bring their pay in line with others.”

Group2 and Payette both recognize the impact that family commitments, whether an architect is a new parent or is caring for an aging relative, to take two examples, can play in a person’s professional development and pay equity. Payette makes staff aware that taking leave or reducing one’s hours is not a one-way door. “There used to be a perception that if you moved to part-time hours, you couldn’t go back,” Lindenfeld says. “If you’re at a point in your life where you need to work 32 hours or even fewer, that’s fine. And if things change and you want to go back to working full-time, that’s ok too.”

Group2’s Plosz believes there are a couple of ways firms can help level the playing field when it comes to staff taking time off from their careers. “Leaders should be open about how they too find juggling work and home life difficult, so it becomes an accepted part of the firm’s culture,” she says, adding, “I’d encourage male employees to consider taking a portion of the parental leave so it becomes less of a gender issue and more of a family consideration.”