GENDER AND PUBLIC SPACESession 3A

Sonal ShahPrincipal Associate – Urban Development and Accessibility

EMBARQ India

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How are our cities gendered?

Gender: Distinguishes socially constructed roles from biologically determined aspects of being male and female

Cities are not “gender neutral” i.e. providing equal access to men and women

Women have inferior access to both private and public means of transport while at the same time assuming a higher share of their household’s travel burden and making more trips associated with reproductive and caretaking responsibilities

“Woman” is not a universal category: age, income, region, religion, caste….

Source: *Gender-based division of labor; Disparities in power and control of resources; Gender biases in rights and entitlements. ’ (World Bank, undated).

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How are our cities gendered?

Trip chaining i.e. combining multiple destinations within one trip. ‘Shelter-transport-livelihood link’ Walking is a predominant mode of travel for low-income women in developing countriesCycling: Women’s higher concern for safe riding environments and their inferior access to personal means of transport results in lesser cycling modal shares. Women’s access to carts or load-carrying bicycles is often restricted, resulting in frequent strain injuries, neck and back pain due to excessive head loading.

Source: Anand, Anvita and Tiwari, Geetam. 2006. A Gendered Perspective of the Shelter-Transport-Livelihood Link: The Case of Poor Women in Delhi. Transport Reviews, Vol 26 (1), p 63-80Deike, Peters. Breadwinners, Homemakers and Beasts of Burden: A Gender Perspective on Transport and Mobility. ISR, Berline, Germany Srinivasa, S. (2008) ‘A spatial exploration of the accessibility of low-income women: Chengdu, China and Chennai, India’, In Uteng T.P. and T. Cresswell (Eds) Gendered Mobilities Ashgate, Avebury, pp. 143–158Deike, Peters. 2002. Gender and Transport in Less Developed Countries: A Background Paper in Preparation for CSD-9.

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How are our cities gendered?

Women are also more dependent on public transport than men, especially when they are lower-income.

Off-peak and peripheral public transit routes on which many women depend have much less priority than the radial commuter corridors going straight to the city centre.

Women s complex household and caretaking responsibilities usually force women to make multiple stops.

Overcrowding, lack of facilities for women – especially public toilets

Source: Deike, Peters. Breadwinners, Homemakers and Beasts of Burden: A Gender Perspective on Transport and Mobility. ISR, Berline, Germany Vishwanath, Kalpana. 2013. Planning cities as if women matter. Seminar.

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Gender, Safety and Security

Cities with a population of more than one million tend to have a higher rate of crime in general.*15% of total cases of crimes against women were reported from 53 cities in 2011. Delhi accounted for 13.3% (4,489), followed by Bengaluru 5.6% (1,890), and Hyderabad 5.5% (1,860).

In Delhi, a 2010 study with over 5000 men and women 95% of the women had experienced some form of harassment. Almost two out of three women and girls reported facing incidents of sexual harassment between 2-5 times in the past year. Women face harassment as part of everyday life and not only at night or in secluded spaces.

Structural violence: Surveillance, censorship and class perceptions

Source: National Crime Records Bureau Vishwanath, Kalpana. 2013. Planning cities as if women matter. Seminar. Why Loiter: Safety and Risk on Mumbai’s Streets

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Gender and Public Spaces Higher participation in the “informal sector” . Tend to use home also as a work spaceOutdoor open space / “chowks” for economic activitiesStreet as public spaces To what extent do women feel comfortable “loitering” on streets, street corners? ‘Loitering’ means standing at street corners, doing ‘timepass’ over chai without surveillance, using clean toilets after dark. Women’s presence in public space is acceptable only when they have a purpose.”

Photo: Re-Dharavi, 2010Source: Why Loiter: Safety and Risk on Mumbai’s Streets

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Interactive session Differences in the kinds and ways in which public spaces are used and how they can better respond to men and women’s needs

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THANK YOU!