Discuss the feminist perspective on gender roles, space, and safety.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers will vary. Feminist theories emphasize gender-related constraints. Whether they live in cities or suburbs, women generally experience more problems than men because living spaces are usually designed by men who have tended to ignore women's changing roles.Many women fear the city, especially urban public spaces like streets, parks, and public transportation (Domosh and Seager, 2001). They see these places as risky for their physical safety, despite the fact that most violence against women occurs at home. A few cities provide public transportation (e.g., minivans that operate seven nights a week) to prevent crimes against women, usually minority women, who must travel to work after 8:00 p.m. and return home before dawn. For the most part, however, such services are rare (Hayden, 2002).People living below the poverty level are predominantly female, black, single parents, and urban (Proctor et al., 2016). Because of a lack of affordable housing, many women and their children may be forced to live under the same roof as an aggressor. If public transportation isn't available or adequate, low-income women are cut off from job opportunities. Low-income mothers are expected to work. However, low-wage jobs, coupled with a lack of affordable child care, create role conflicts, undermine mental health, and increase the likelihood of intimate partner violence (Jacobs et al., 2016; WUNRN, 2017).