Women Unwelcome in French Public Spaces

Outside of central Paris, public parks, terraces, and cafes are becoming male-only spaces, especially in poorer immigrant communities. For a variety of reasons, from cultural reticence to fears about safety, female citizens no longer feel at home in their own neighborhoods. “This is particularly problematic for those in lower-income brackets, who may not be able to afford going to leisure places which are not free to visit.”

The problem persists in part because many immigrants hail from places where women enjoy less freedom to move about in public. There is nothing to prevent them from visiting public places, but a hostile atmosphere on the street discourages it. In response, groups such as A Place For Women, whose members congregate in public spaces together wearing distinctive scarves, are asserting their right to spend an hour at the park.

Group members argue that infrastructure spending and design are partially to blame. Public spaces for youth are usually  designed with male-oriented activities in mind. The trend “persists throughout all the leisure programs organized by municipal bodies: even recreational spending for the elderly goes on petanque (a form of boules), in which women are not regular participants.” The article implies that municipal planners should design parks and recreational facilities to explicitly encourage equal access.