IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 35

Is it important for
women to have mentors?

Patricia rotondo: It's important for everyone to have a mentor, not just women.
Holly Hunt: I don't know that I ever had a mentor the way we think about them today.
I think you're much better off with a peer or junior peer relationship-it's better to
do things together-that's a much healthier way to look at mentorship and learning
from another person.
catHrine Velkos: The successful women who would have been in a position to
mentor me had male mentors, for the most part. There were many women who
set great examples for me and gave me opportunities to succeed, but I think it will
take another generation for women to gain the authority to be effective mentors
in the pure sense: teacher and protector.
Gina Berndt: Mentorship, like friendship, is organic. My strongest mentor was
my father. I lost him when I was 24, but he encouraged me to follow my heart and
to be independent. As a leader of a labor union in Chicago, he saw many women
working for minimum wage, single-handedly struggling to support their families.
He wanted more for his daughters.
cHeryl durst: It's incredibly important! I tend to engage with, admire and
occasionally "stalk" others who have "moments" that I admire. Women who excel
at leading and managing, who have been able to have a serious career infused
with humor, levity and humanity, who are thoughtful, articulate and make major
decisions under tremendous pressure and then head home to read good books, raise
amazing children and live meaningful lives.

Can design help solve
the problem of women's
equality in the work­
place? Is there a way to
design offices to be more
female friendly, to help
break down barriers
for women, to encourage
more women to "sit
at the table"?

Patricia rotondo: The freedom to relax and work at the same time motivates
designers and helps the balance, but issues in the workplace confronted by women
on an ongoing basis are far more cultural and philosophical than they are a question
of the physical environment. That said, I would appreciate if all build-outs allow
about three times the square footage for the design of the women's restrooms
as compared to the men's. There is always a long line...
Holly Hunt: Offices are coming apart now. So much of the office space is going
to open space-everything is much more collaborative and everyone has so many
various devices, so there's a big trend toward communication. I think that kind
of design will make everyone more collaborative-I don't think it has to do with
men or women. I have never felt unequal as a woman so it's very hard for me to say,
"here's how I felt unequal and here's what I did about it."
catHrine Velkos: Design can provide solutions, and help change attitudes that are
vestigial and obsolete. The way we work has been transformed - our workplaces and
policies should reflect this. But women's success in the workplace has much more
to do with the fair application and effectiveness of policies like healthcare, maternity
leave, equal pay for equal work, and schedule flexibility.
Gina Berndt: People and an organization's culture trump the physical environment.
The environment can reinforce culture, but it can't create it. The greatest advantages
for women are education, talent, and a willingness to work hard, speak up and lead.

perspective

35



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013

Contents
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - Cover1
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - Cover2
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 1
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 2
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - Contents
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 4
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 5
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 6
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 7
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 8
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IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - Cover3
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - Cover4
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