PROFILE
Architect of change
By Kim Kemp
Hard hats are the norm on construction sites. What isn’ t, is women in hard hats. This imbalance, however, is being addressed by young women who are succeeding in this male-dominated sector and its related industries.
According to www. statssa. gov. za, there are more women than men in South Africa, with women comprising 51 % of the total population. However, despite making up just over half of the population, women remain comparatively disenfranchised in positions of authority and power. This is acknowledged by South Africa’ s Constitution, which sets out gender equality as a founding principle. The Women Empowerment and Gender Equality Bill in particular, calls for 50 % representation in decision-making positions, underscored by the recently amended Construction Sector Code. Although South Africa has made great strides, gender representation is still below the 50 % mark for positions that come with any degree of influence and, by way of illustration, according to data from 2014, women comprised 32 % of Supreme Court of Appeal judges, 31 % of advocates, 30 % of ambassadors, and 24 % of heads of state-owned enterprises. The Civil Engineering Contractor( CEC) caught up with Alexandra Slaviero, project architect for Paragon Architects, and discussed how she made the career choices she did and how she is faring as a successful young white professional woman, in a predominantly male environment.
CEC: Alexandra, please can you describe how you came to do what you do?
Alexandra Slaviero( AS): Architecture for me was not an accident! I developed an appreciation and curiosity towards architecture and design from an early age, being more interested in building Lego structures than playing with dolls.
Kim Kemp
Slaviero is presently working on the Rosebank Link, located in what is now known as the Rosebank Mews and forms part of the R7-billion facelift that has been undertaken for the past few years.
30- CEC June 2018