Why do mothers leave design, and what can be done to keep them? These are questions that can be asked of almost any design-related field, but they had never been formally asked of the lighting design world.
Emily Klingensmith, IALD, LC, LEED AP, decided to change that.
She started by finding the perfect research partner.
A Principal (now Partner) at Schuler Shook, Emily had been thinking about this topic for years as she balanced having a full-time lighting design career and being a mother. Emily sought out Lisa J. Reed, MIES, PE, LEED AP BD+C, Founding Principal of Envision Lighting Design, who agreed to help create the first survey of its kind for lighting designers.
Lisa’s experience as a lighting designer at various types of firms within the industry ultimately led her to start her own company to get the flexibility she needed as a working mom. She had studied and reported on parallel topics for other professional design organizations such as the AIA, too.
Together, Emily and Lisa created an anonymous survey with over 70 questions to address the topic of why mothers leave design. Due to differences in parental leave practices and labor laws, Emily and Lisa chose to survey current and former lighting designers in the USA.
WILD and the IALD helped spread the word about the survey to women in lighting design. All told, 435 women participated in the survey. To give a sense of scale, there were 675 IALD designers in the USA (men and women) at the time of the survey in 2018.
Emily and Lisa presented their findings at the IALD Enlighten conference last October. Following an enthusiastic response, they are sharing the complete responses here to help further the discussion with a broader audience.
See the complete responses just below.