‘We don’t want you here’: gender discrimination and women’s responses in American planning, 1970-1990

Abstract

The first generation of women planners faced a daunting climate in their educations, professional roles and academic posts. They experienced structural disadvantage, discrimination and marginalisation in a male-dominated field. Despite the challenges, women created spaces for solidarity and opportunities for collective action within national planning organisations. This article shows how American women kept both professional and substantive gender concerns in view while striving to make planning more equitable. While they succeeded at instituting structural supports for women and making gender a common topic of planning research, further work remains to empower women of colour and the most marginalised planners.