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Irish Architecture Career Tracker (IACT) Survey, 2023

Study number (SN): 0086-00

CITATION 

ABOUT THE STUDY 

The Irish Architecture Career Tracker survey gathered over 680 completed questionnaires. The primary focus was to understand why people leave the profession of architecture, attitudes towards and perceptions of gender equality within the profession and the wider discipline, as well as sexism and discrimination. 

It includes items which look at the architecture as a profession and the occupations which come under its umbrella as a broader discipline i.e. it allows for individuals who are working in the broad field of architecture as well as registered architects. It includes items which examine work culture, such as long working hours, as well as standard measures of work-family conflict and work pressure, and subjective stress. 

It uses new measures of attitudes towards gender equity developed by the European Social Survey Round 11 ‘Gender in Contemporary Europe: Rethinking Equality and the Backlash’, developed by Banducci, et al 2020. These are the salience of gender equality policies, contemporary sexism (measure from Ambivalent Sexism Index (Glick and Fiske, 1996) ). It also includes items on experience of microaggressions, bullying, harassment and discrimination at work. It has items which ask about the intersection of gender and professional identity and the perceived impact of gender on career. 

The survey ends with a set of questions on the importance of 34 factors in the decision to leave the professional practice of architecture. 

Acknowledgements

The RIAI (Royal Institute of Architects Ireland) provided funding through the IRC grant and helped to disseminate the survey to its members via its newsletter.

Academic mentor: Prof Katherine O’Donnell, UCD School of Philosophy.

Enterprise mentor: Kathryn Meghen, CEO of the RIAI.

Funding

Irish Research Council Enterprise Post-doctoral fellowship with the Royal Institute of Architects Ireland – Gender Equity in Irish Architecture (project title) EPSD/2022/10 

MAIN TOPICS 

• Attitudes
• Perception
• Gender equality
• Gender discrimination
• Sexism
• Occupational life
• Work-life balance
• Working conditions
• Architects
• Architecture
• Gender identity
• Job changing
• Parents
• Domestic responsibilities
• Work pressure 
• Professional identity 
• Work family conflict 

COVERAGE, UNIVERSE, METHODOLOGY 

Population 

Adults working in architecture on the island of Ireland. Specifically adults who consider themselves to be working in architecture on the island of Ireland or who are working in any field and have a degree in architecture or architectural technology. (‘Working in architecture’ is self-defined)

Observation units 

• Individual

Temporal coverage 

From 03/2023 to 05/2023

Time dimension  

Cross-sectional one-time study

Geographical coverage 

Country: Ireland and Northern Ireland 

Methods of data collection 

• CASI (Computer Assisted Self Interviewing)

Sampling procedures 

Non-probability: Availability

Convenience sampling was used. 

The survey given online using UCD Survey Monkey for UCD staff (GDPR compliant). 

The size of the target population is unknown. (Target population: Individuals in Ireland and Northern Ireland, with a degree in architecture or architectural technology, or those self-identifying as working in architecture, regardless of professional registration.) The population of registered architects with RIAI is known, approx., 3500 in 2023. (463 registered architects took part in survey) 

Participants recruited via social media, newsletters, and amplification by interest organizations like the Irish Architecture Foundation, professional organisations such as the RIAI and the RUSA, and school of architecture. Similar emails were sent to all local and regional authorities on the island of Ireland i.e. County councils etc, and to any state body or government department with an interest in the built environment.  

A Continuing Professional Development (CPD) point was offered as an incentive.

Response rate 

 As the full sample population is unknown, it is not possible to give a response rate. 

Response rate for the registered architect cohort only is approx. 13% The population of registered architects with RIAI is known, approx., 3500 in 2023. (463 registered architects took part in survey)

DATA AND DOCUMENTATION: FILES’ DESCRIPTION  

Data (available through ISSDA application process) 

Documentation (available for download) [Heading 3]

PUBLICATION

MacManus, Dervla, and Katherine O’Donnell. “‘I Am an Architect’, Gender and Professional Identity in Architecture.” Frontiers in Sustainable Cities 6 (2024). https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2024.1456898

ACCESS INFORMATION 

Accessing the data 

To access the data, please complete a ISSDA Data Request Form for Research Purposes - Pseudonymised Datasets, sign it, and send it to ISSDA by email.

For teaching purposes, please complete the ISSDA Data Request Form for Teaching Purposes - Pseudonymised Datasets, and follow the procedures, as above. Teaching requests are approved on a once-off module/workshop basis. Subsequent occurrences of the module/workshop require a new teaching request form.

Data will be disseminated on receipt of a fully completed, signed form. Incomplete or unsigned forms will be returned to the data requester for completion.

Copyright 

The data has been collected and created by Dervla MacManus and she is the owner of the copyright. 

Acknowledgements 

Any work based in whole or part on resources provided by the ISSDA, should  acknowledge: “Irish Architecture Career Tracker (IACT) Survey, 2023" and also ISSDA, in the following way: “Accessed via the Irish Social Science Data Archive - www.ucd.ie/issda”.

Citation requirement 

The data and its creators shall be cited in all publications and presentations for which the data have been used. The bibliographic citation may be in the form suggested by the archive or in the form required by the publication.

Bibliographical citation 

MacManus, Dervla  (2025). Irish Architecture Career Tracker (IACT) Survey, 2023 [dataset]. Version 1. Irish Social Science Data Archive. SN: 0086-00. https://www.ucd.ie/issda/data/irisharchitecturecareertrackeriact/

Notification 

The user shall notify the Irish Social Science Data Archive of all publications where she or he has used the data.