Dita Roque-Gourary facts for kids

Judith (Dita) Roque-Gourary (born July 26, 1915, in St. Petersburg, Russia – died 2010, in Brussels, Belgium) was an architect. After moving to Belgium in 1938, she became a strong supporter of women working in architecture.

Biography

Dita Roque-Gourary's family left Russia after the Russian Revolution of 1917. They moved to Naples, Italy. She studied architecture in Germany and Austria. She was almost finished with her architecture degree in Vienna when she had to leave the country in 1938. This was because of an event called the Anschluss, when Germany took over Austria.

However, Dita was able to finish her degree at La Cambre in Brussels, Belgium. There, she married another architect named Jean Roque. After World War II, she worked with Jean Nicolet-Darche. Later, she started her own architecture business. She focused on fixing up and updating old homes from the 1800s and 1900s. This was important during the time when many buildings needed to be rebuilt after the war.

Helping Women Architects

In 1977, Roque-Gourary started the Union of Women Architects in Belgium. She was the president of this group until 1983. When the union began, they made a clear statement. They said they wanted to change the old idea that women should only have a small role. They wanted to show that women could be great architects on their own or working with men.

Dita Roque-Gourary also played a big part in the International Union of Women Architects (UIFA). She was a very good speaker and convinced many people. She kept supporting the role of women in architecture until she retired in 1984. Her work helped open doors for many women in the field of architecture.

See also

• Dita Roque-Gourary (main article)
• Women in architecture