Zaha Hadid is the world's most prominent and successful female architect. As a superstar she stands out as an exception in a male dominated profession.

In July 2003, the Royal Institute of British Architects commissioned research into why women leave architecture, or more specifically, why they fail to register professionally. Findings concluded that fewer women registered (13%) than qualified (38%) and were being forced out of the profession as a result of sexism, macho culture and low pay. In both Canada and the USA, the figures more or less correlate with the UK, although reasons may vary.

In Canada, Adams and Tancred, in their book Designing Women, examine the issue of gender and its relationship to the larger dynamics of status and power. They argue many women architects react with ingenuity to the difficulties they face, making major innovations in practice and design. Branching out into a wide range of alternative fields, these women extend and develop core specialisations within architecture: "While the profession designs women's place within it, women design buildings and careers that transcend narrow professional definitions."

This documentary interviews women in architecture in order to establish first hand their experience of and choices within the profession.