Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Gender and sexuality
The feminist movement was particularly strong in the last quarter
of the 20th century and among its relevant questions was that
surrounding the roles of women in spaces and places designed
primarily by men of a particular class and ethnic designation.
Many parts of the central city retail area, for example, are widely
used by women and yet they had little input into the design and
planning of such areas. Open spaces, parks, and woodland are
regarded by men as prime recreational and leisure areas, and yet
for women, especially in the darker hours, they are often unsafe
places to be avoided or used in fear. This notion of vulnerability
can be extended to other groups such as the elderly, the disabled,
and children.
Similarly, it is clear that heterosexual norms tend to be applied
to the organization of space, and for gay people there are again
diffi culties of design and access that have to be overcome. It
has been shown that simple exchanges of affection, such as
embracing, by gay couples are not tolerated as public acts in many
predominantly heterosexual societies. Public space imposes its
own codes of acceptability and overtly gay behaviour can lead to
victimization and abuse. One response is to create gay spaces,
another may be to participate in activities such as parades that
make a statement about sexuality. Other spaces, such as those
used by the Women's National Basketball League in the USA, are
often perceived as 'lesbian' spaces when in fact their primary role
is as a focus for women's sport; the lesbian connection is at most
partial.
In other words, the spaces and places so often treated in a uniform
way by human geographers had different meanings for different
types of people. These social worlds held a range of emotions and
values that needed to be understood. Awareness of these kinds
of considerations was one of the ways in which the tenets of the
new cultural geography permeated across the spectrum of human
geography.
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