In this open letter, designer Ti Chang asks the important question: where are all the women in industrial design?
A few hours into my first day at work as an industrial designer, I was shocked to discover there was no women's restroom. I was the first woman on a team with 12 men, designing bicycles. I laughed it off at first because it felt too absurd. That week, they converted an unused closet, which became my bathroom. Although this happened in 2004, this kind of injustice and inattention to women is still pervasive. Throughout my career I have often found myself the only woman on a manufacturing floor, the token female in a room full of men. I have often been talked over, not taken seriously, sexually harassed, advised to not continue down the industrial design path and instead become a researcher. During a manufacturer visit, I've even had a business meeting in Italy where the supplier refused to even speak directly to me and would only address my male product manager.