We still have miles to go to change the mindsets of people in India: Shweta Kaw, Principal Architect, Studio Meraki

What I have seen is that in a lot of professions women have climbed the ladder much faster than men, especially in the building industry. I don’t think there is an issue of gender disparity or any gender pay gap and harassment at work and forget about sexual harassment that does not happen at all in Singapore. I know I am undermining my own country; I love my country. But we still have miles to go to change the mindsets and perceptions of people about women.

What does success mean to you?

Success is the commitment you have in your heart when you get up in the morning. It is just that contentment which you get irrespective of anything you have in life. If you are not content with yourself, you will be spelling over it to other people in terms of negative emotions or anything. 

Survival of the fittest!

There is a big battle out there, especially for budding architects for females I would say that, see the construction industry is a male-dominated industry everybody knows that, I am not saying that you will not be respected or your work will not be appreciated but it is a male-dominated industry and you need to live with that. You need to face everyone, every day you need to interact, you need to make your decisions, and you need to stand out and stick to your decision. There is one particular thing which I must tell every budding architecture professional themselves is to be patient because in this industry you will get rewards but not in 6 months or a year. There are rewards but only if you are ready to keep the patience by your side.    

Excerpts from Team BMR’s conversation with Shweta Kaw, Principal Architect, Studio Meraki 

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