Constructive Women and the power of community

​​​​​Constructive Times was published from 1983 to 2004 by members of Constructive Women, an Australian professional association for women in the building industry. All published copies of Constructive Times, along with the larger Constructive Women Architecture and Design Archive, are held in the Caroline Simpson Library. Collectively, the resources help us understand what Constructive Women was seeking to achieve in creating Constructive Times, a deliberately feminine perspective in a masculinised industrial landscape. 

One of the questions commonly posed to Constructive Women’s founder, Eve Laron, was ​​​‘why a separate group for women?’ As most of the group was made up of architects, many of the women were also part of the Royal Australian Institute for Architects, the standard professional association. In fact, a 1996 Sydney Morning Herald article about the group noted the perception of some other working female architects that while Constructive Women had value as a ‘focus group’ they didn’t see how it could provide a sufficiently different perspective from the ‘established structure[s]’ of professional associations to warrant an entirely separate association for women in the building industry.¹ 

The value that Constructive Women provided for its members didn’t fit the traditional mould for a professional organisation. From the group’s inception in 1983 to its formal dissolution in 2009, Constructive Women provided literal and metaphorical spaces and platforms for women to share ideas and creativity, knowledge and resources, and perhaps most importantly, provide support to one another professionally, personally and socially. The group’s newsletter, Constructive Times, played a crucial role in this. Constructive Women and Constructive Times were always much more than just a professional association and a newsletter. Working in tandem, they were the metaphysical village built by and for the members of the group, creating a deliberately feminine space designed to help women navigate a heavily masculinised industry.

Social and professional support

Similarly, Constructive Times supported and championed the agency and independence of women in the building and related industries by advertising jobs, sharing their experiences of solo and independent working, and allowing readers and members to advertise their own professional services. In one such ad, published in issue 8, a member implored fellow readers to ‘let me take care of your typing worries – in my home or at your office’, noting her rates were ‘very reasonable’.⁴ 

Constructive Times also published a small series over the course of a few issues called ‘Diary of a small practice’. Written by member Ingrid Pearson, the series was an account of how she began her architectural business and what she learned, with explicit advice for other women thinking of doing the same. The desire to publish this information in print again shows the group’s commitment to extending the same access to resources to those who may not have been able to attend events in person owing to distance or familial commitments.

Sharing ideas and creativity

Another key way Constructive Women provided non-traditional support to its members was through the function of Constructive Times as an accessible platform for sharing ideas and creative pursuits at any stage of development. In some of the earlier issues there was a section called ‘Roses and toads’, explicitly intended ‘for you [the reader] to express your opinion, regardless of whether it is contentious or not. So, say whatever you’re thinking … to get people thinking.’⁵ Similarly, in issue 7 an ‘ideas competition’ was held that was designed to have very little to do with the building industry but rather ‘imagining a future in which Constructive Women will not be necessary’. The competition specifically encouraged outlandish and creative thinking, with the assurance that ‘the craziest ideas will be highly rewarded’.⁶ In a heavily masculinised industry that prioritised rationality and profit, Constructive Times was a safe haven for women to express themselves and find their way back to playfulness. 

The concept of play and how it can be encouraged in personal identity and professional practice were also explored over the course of a few issues, including Rena Czaplinska-Archer’s account in issue 27 of designing four short workshops for her son’s kindergarten class.⁷ She discusses how engaging with children and noticing their natural creativity exposed the rigidity she had come to accept as part of her identity:

This account stands out as an exploration of the interplay between Czaplinska-Archer’s professional and personal identities, and the value she (and, by implication, Constructive Times) placed on creativity and play in all aspects of life. Beyond merely encouraging ‘out of the box’ thinking in the workplace, Constructive Times made a specific and concerted effort to foster ways of thinking and practising that may have been discouraged as irrelevant or frivolous femininity in a masculinised industrial landscape.

Activism through knowledge sharing

Throughout the entire publication run, Constructive Women maintained its commitment to promoting the accessibility of resources via Constructive Times by sharing general information and knowledge relevant to the personal, professional and social lives of its members/readers. As early as issue 4, sections of the newsletter were dedicated to discussing the then Sex Discrimination Bill before it entered into legislative force in 1984. Some discussions contained detailed breakdowns of the language of the bill and what it might mean for the personal and professional lives of Australian women. Others contained information on how to show support for the bill. As a feminist publication, Constructive Times also reproduced letters sent by members to display and bolster public support for the bill.

Similarly, Constructive Times functioned as a platform for the sharing of general life advice that women were traditionally barred from receiving, especially economic advice. In issue 8, an advertisement for the upcoming general monthly meeting of Constructive Women stated that it would include a personal money management seminar, to counteract the rise of some predatory financiers that members noticed were taking advantage of women with newly opened independent bank accounts. 

​​​​​​​While Constructive Women may not have fitted a traditional definition of a professional association, the group found unique ways to robustly and holistically support members. The group worked tirelessly to provide personal, professional and social support for members, intentionally creating spaces for women to share their ideas and creativity, life lessons and advice, and vital knowledge and resources. These efforts were undoubtedly bolstered by the circulation of Constructive Times, which created new opportunities for readers to engage with like-minded women in the industry and share in the ideas, creativity, advice and resources from which they may have been previously barred due to distance, familial commitments or other factors. The deep commitment of Constructive Women to helping women navigate a masculinised industry through Constructive Times is immensely commendable, and a profound testament to the power of ​​​​community.

About Rhys Burke