Pledge. Commit. Certify.

The 20 Cent Challenge is simple. Pay equality for women in the profession of architecture is the mandate.

Women in the United States make 20 cents on the dollar less than men. The architecture profession is no exception. Our schools of architecture are graduating an equal number of men and women.

Why does the architecture profession today consist of 80% men and 20% women?

This is a pay equality problem. And given the demographics of participation and leadership in the profession, it’s a guy problem.

The challenge consists of a pledge, a one year deadline, and a certification of pay equality.

Add your name, studio and pledge date to the public online list. Make the pledge to bring your studio to pay equality in one year. Then certify that you’ve reached pay equality. That’s it. No ice buckets involved.

There are very few metrics out there to fairly evaluate pay equality.

The United Kingdom has been nice enough to create a neat one. You can learn how to calculate your gap here, pledge to close it, and certify that you believe in your mother, daughter, and sister.

My daughter Eva wants to be an architect when she grows up. She’s going to get paid fairly.

-Adam Rolston, AIA