In an event that got little public attention, the Greater Chennai Corporation launched a ‘gender lab’, the first such initiative by any local urban body in the country. Simply put, as the name suggests, gender lab is an experiment on what would happen, and what it would take, to design a city’s infrastructure keeping women in mind.
The fact that the gender lab, set up with assistance from the World Bank and the Nirbhaya Fund, was inaugurated in the presence of the mayor and the police commissioner is a sign of intent and gives cause for hope.
To start with, three specialists, all women, will review civic infrastructure projects to examine them from the lens of the safety of women in public spaces.
Cities are not gender neutral
“When you consider women, gender minorities, children, adolescents, the elderly and the differently abled, you are talking about more than two-thirds of the population,” says Sonal Shah, founder, Urban Catalysts which advises on sustainable and equitable transport, public spaces and urban planning. “Public spaces cater to and are dominated by just one third of the population – able-bodied men.”
What would an inclusive public space – a street, a park, a market—look like?
It would have adequate street lighting for women to be able to go out safely after dark. There would be enough CCTVs to act as a deterrent to crime. Footpaths would be wide and have access ramps.
It’s not just about safety in public spaces– though this is crucial to survival – but also about rights. Can women access public parks to enjoy some leisure time? Are there enough sports facilities for them and their daughters? What about clean public toilets, changing rooms and nursing stations for young mothers? Is there enough seating for everyone? Picnic spots for families under shady trees?
Inclusive and affordable public transportation is a big issue for women’s mobility. Beyond reservation for seats in buses and carriages on the metro, is there last mile connectivity?
“Mobility restrictions are one of the biggest reasons for the decline in female labour force participation,” says Mitali Nikore of Nikore Associates.
“During the pandemic when public transport was suspended, many women, including domestic workers and those in the informal sector had to leave jobs. If women are to return to work, then public transport must work for women.”
Less-than-equal residents
Cities and towns designed without keeping women in mind makes them less-than-equal participants. It denies them equal access to education, healthcare and employment. For instance, a study by economist Girija Borker unearthed the fact that women students in Delhi chose lower-ranked colleges if they were located close to their homes, making their commute shorter.
Census data tell us that only 22% of all commuters who use public transport to get to work are women. Most women prefer the cheaper option of walking and, so, opt for jobs closer to their places of employment, even if these are low-paying jobs.
But cities are waking up to the reality of excluding women.
“There have been a lot of small steps in the right direction,” says Kalpana Vishwanath of Safetipin, an organisation that works to make public spaces safer and more inclusive for women.
In 2019, the Delhi government made bus travel free for all women and a study examining the impact of the move is still underway. More recently, it has earmarked the licenses of e-rickshaws for women and declared that it will be training more women to drive public buses in a step that will boost confidence in using public transportation.
The under-construction Delhi-Meerut regional rail will be designed for universal access and gender-inclusivity. It is also supported by a grant that will support women e-rickshaw drivers to enable last mile connectivity. The grant will also provide digital, life-skills, self-awareness training, to female students in colleges along the corridor, says Sonal Shah.
Investing in inclusive cities makes economic sense, says Nikore. “The benefits of women’s economic inclusion and the positive economic returns to society far offset the financial costs,” she says.
A study by ActionAid found that 73% of women surveyed (41% were below the age of 19) had been subject to some form of harassment in public–84.9% at markets, 83% in metro stations, and 82.4% around their places of study.
Eight in 10 women said they had taken steps to protect themselves by avoiding parks and poorly lit areas or changing a travel route. The solution lies not in locking women into homes. The solution is to enable their wider and greater participation in public spaces.
What steps can planners take to make cities more inclusive for women, children, the elderly and the differently abled? Email me at: namita.bhandare@gmail.com.
A GOOD WEEK FOR…
Dipika Pallikal who starred in two title wins, mixed with Saurav Ghoshal and women’s with Joshna Chinappa, at the World Doubles Championship in Glasgow. The 31-year-old’s remarkable win comes six months after she gave birth to twins and four years after she took a break from competitive sport in 2018.
REST IN POWER
Mimi Reinhard, the secretary who typed ‘Schindler’s List’ has died in Israel, aged 107. Reinhard was held at a Nazi concentration camp near Krakow but recruited by Nazi intelligence officer and businessman Oskar Schindler to work in the camp office since she spoke fluent German and could take shorthand. Schindler drew up a list of ‘essential’ Jewish workers who would be spared from annihilation in the camps and Reinhard ended up typing his list of over 1,000 Jews.
GENDER TRACKER
Uttar Pradesh accounts for 25.2% of crimes against Dalits, with 12,741 registered in 2020. Bihar follows with 14.6% with 7,368 cases/
Source: National Crime Records Bureau data for 2020.
STORIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED
TMC leader’s son arrested on rape charges, ‘love affair’ says Mamata.
The death of a 14-year-old girl in West Bengal’s Nadia district on April 4, allegedly after she was raped by a local Trinamool Congress leader, Samarendra Gayali’s son, Brajagopal and friends has sparked a political storm with chief minister Mamata Banerjee dismissing the incident as a ‘love affair’. Brajagopal was been arrested and charged with rape after the girl’s family lodged a police complaint.
From the courts
The Allahabad High Court has turned down a plea by a female same-sex couple to recognise their marriage. The Uttar Pradesh government had argued that marriage in India could only be between a man and a woman and same-sex marriage goes against Indian sanskar.
Elsewhere, the Bombay High Court denied anticipatory bail to a man charged with raping his minor wife. “Child marriages have to be stopped,” the court observed.
And in Delhi, the Supreme Court has admitted a petition asking for the adoption process to be simplified. There are 30 million orphans but only 4,000 adoptions every year, the plea stated.
AROUND THE WORLD
Macron v Le Pen
Incumbent Emmanuel Macron will face far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in the French presidential election runoff on April 24. If he wins, he will become the first French president to be re-elected in 20 years. CNN has an analysis on what’s at stake for women. Read about it here.
Indonesia passes landmark bill to deal with sexual violence
The final draft of the law includes prison terms of up to 12 years for crimes of physical sexual abuse, nine years for forced marriage (including child marriage) and four years for circulating non-consensual sexual content, reports Al Jazeera.
Indian-origin doctor held guilty of sex offences
A 72-year-old Indian-origin doctor practising in Scotland has been found guilty of sexual offences against 48 women patients over a 35 year period. Krishna Singh, a general practitioner was accused of kissing, groping and making sleazy comments, charges he has denied.
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| That’s it for this week. If you have a tip or information on gender-related developments that you would like to share write to me at: namita.bhandare@gmail.com. |