Re-Join: Bringing Women Architects and Designers Back to Work After Career Breaks

Founder of IR Design, Indu Varanasi, launches initiative to encourage women architects and designers to return to work after taking a career break.  

A passionate advocate for diversity and equal career opportunities, Indu Varanasi, founder of Dubai-based interior design practice IR Design, created an initiative to encourage women architects and designers to return to work after taking a career break. Dubbed “Re-join”, the initiative calls for women architects, interior designers, business development managers, and visualisers with a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience, to
come and collaborate on projects on more flexible terms without needing to explain a gap in their
employment history. 

“Women around the world and in the region drop out of architecture and design careers to raise children, care for elderly relatives, and for other reasons. It can be challenging for them to return to work after being out of work for years because recruiters look down on their gap years,” says
Varanasi, explaining that nearly 90 per cent of interior design graduates are women. In fact, the statistics show a huge drop to roughly 70 per cent of those women practising design, and then a reduction to about 30 per cent of women with leadership positions in the field of design.” Hence, Varanasi’s initiative stemmed from the question, “Where are all these women and how to bring them back to work?” She continues:

 

“Throughout my 12+7 years of school and professional education, girls have always topped the class. Statistics show that girls are often better at academics than boys, yet there are few women who are able to pursue the same career path as their male counterparts.”
 

It was nearly 26 years ago that I was faced with the same dilemma of starting a family or continuing my career. Fortunately, I managed both successfully, but looking around, I am not seeing much change.” By bringing great, experienced and unused talents to the forefront of the industry, Varanasi hopes to create a new way of thinking. “As a mother of two, I’m aware that there are some women who bounce back faster than others. However, the opportunities are limited for those who need longer to come back on course. The initiative is not meant for young professionals nor are we offering full-time positions. The designer behind the Times Square Center and Amity University in Dubai is creating a collaborative platform that will integrate their expertise in the studio’s ongoing and upcoming projects, hoping that the initiative will inspire other industry stakeholders to follow or take similar actions.

There are several stages to the development and implementation of the Re-join campaign,” Varanasi explains. “The first stage, public outreach and social media announcements began at the beginning of the year, and we received an overwhelming response.” In the past two months, IR Design has received more than 60 applications from women professionals from various ends of the architecture and design industry.  “The applications have all been carefully reviewed, and those women who have initially been shortlisted based on their professional expertise and previous experience have already filled out a quick questionnaire so that we can gauge their time commitment and professional capability,” says Varanasi, adding that the key to such collaborations is the ability to work independently.

During the pandemic, Indu and the team have also experienced new methods of semi-virtual working and collaborating, and they hope to continue to do so with the Re-join campaign. “Many design companies may be willing to hire women who have not worked for a long time, but there are no special programs to help them. As the next steps, we will be discussing project management, time management, and software skill sets,” says Varanasi.

Born and raised in India, Indu Varanasi came to Dubai in 1994 as a young architect with big dreams to create both functional and inspiring spaces within buildings that will captivate people.  In 2004 Indu ventured on her own and founded IR Design and has been a creative force behind
the studio’s most significant projects in UAE, which include the Time Square Mall, Etihad Mall, Amity University Dubai, Novo Cinemas and DEWA Auditorium, as well as multiple design projects in China, India, Oman, Tanzania and Sudan.

About IRD
Established back in 2004, IR Design offers Interior Architecture Design Consultancy Services, with Construction Administration and Procurement advisory services for Commercial Residential property owners, developers, corporate and others involved in real estate. Over the course of several international projects, our studio’s core expertise has evolved into four broad practice areas: hospitality, leisure, corporate, retail and institution.

About Indu Varanasi
Indu Varanasi is an award-winning architect and interior designer. Born and brought up in India, Indu discovered her ability to melt aesthetic design with function. She has a degree in Architecture from JNTU in Hyderabad and a Masters Degree in Design and Architecture from SPA, New Delhi in 1993. Starting her career in architectural practices in India and Dubai over the years, she found her love for detail in design and the finer aspects of design. In 2004, she set up her own design practice and has since been considered among the Middle East’s top 50 designers.