Throughout 20th century, the role of women in Dutch society and in architecture changed under the influence of the first, second, third and fourth feminist waves. At the beginning of the 20th century, some women broke the gender barriers in architecture, a field traditionally dominated by men (Smeets-Klokgieters, 2022).
The purpose of this thesis is to examine, through social and historical factors related to the role of women in both architecture and society, how the position of women in these fields has changed over the past century. This is explored through the lives and works of the two pioneering Dutch female architects Margaret Staal-Kropholler and Liesbeth van der Pol. Hence, the research question is formulated as follows:
‘How do the lives and works of the two Dutch pioneer architects Margaret Staal-Kropholler and Liesbeth van der Pol reflect the influence of the changing role of women in architecture in the 20th / 21st century in the Netherlands?’
In order to answer the research question, a literature review and an interview were conducted. The literature review includes books and articles from different centuries, providing a comprehensive understanding of how views on the role of women in society and architecture have evolved over the past hundred years. It also includes an interview with Liesbeth van der Pol, which provides further insight into her thoughts about women in architecture during the late 20th /early 21st century.
The lives of Margaret Staal-Kropholler and Liesbeth van der Pol offer interesting insights into the changing role of women in society and architecture in the Netherlands. Margaret Staal-Kropholler is regarded as the first female Dutch architect, she lived in a time when women rarely entered the architectural profession (Kuperus & van Kessel, 1990). She showed that women were not inferior to the, until then, male-dominated profession. Throughout Liesbeth van der Pol’s career, the presence and influence of women in modern architecture grew. Despite the fact that approximately half of all architecture students are female, only 23% of working architects are women (Alkemade, 2021). As the first female State Architect of the Netherland, she can be seen as a pioneer and a role model for many female architects and architecture students. Van der Pol encourages women in this field to be confident and make their voices heard within the profession.
Together, these two architects represent a shift in perception and participation of women within Dutch architecture. The lives and works of Margaret Staal-Kropholler and Liesbeth van der Pol are part of the ongoing evolution of gender equality within this field.