Towards a better sharing of Parisian public space between men and women

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Written by Anne Terrett

Did you know ? In Paris, there are more women than men. They represent exactly 53% of the population. However, they benefit much less than their peers from public spaces. This issue was raised strongly in 2015, when feminist associations campaigned against street harassment. I feel angry that nothing has been done so I can travel in complete peace.

Lack of data

Based on this observation, the city of Paris decided to study the issue. “Women are everywhere on the streets, but very unevenly,” says Hélène Bedard, the deputy mayor of Paris responsible for gender equality, youth and popular education. “We realized that there was not necessarily a real-world study or quantitative data to accurately measure it,” continues the Deputy Mayor of Paris. On the other hand, based on the experience of Parisian women, regardless of their age, we identified the places, such as city entrances and train stations, the times when they were most exposed to this harassment, and their avoidance strategies. “Put it in its place.”

“During tests to install exercise units in public spaces, the city council noted that requests differed by gender.”

Reflection on the use of the city has led to the publication of three guides entitled Gender and Public Space. The last one appeared last June. “Through collaboration with French researchers, such as geographers Edith Marogol or Yves Raibaud, and associations such as Equal Places or Gender and the City, we have expanded the approach beyond harassment to think more broadly about sharing equal access to public spaces between Women and men. Men,” explains Hélène Bedard. For example, women are not present in public sporting spaces, or there are very few of them, while men are everywhere. When tests were conducted in Paris to install gym units in public spaces, the city council found that requests differed by gender. Women preferred that the equipment be slightly hidden so that they would not feel exposed to everyone’s eyes.

This work was also carried out tangentially with the first deputy of the city in charge of town planning, Emmanuel Grégoire, and the deputy in charge of public construction, Jacques Baudrier, with the aim of having this type, as with environmental issues, taken into account in the specifications for the renewal of the city. In 2022, all developers committed, within the framework of the Paris Charter for Sustainable and Inclusive Development, to address this issue.

Global reflection

Gender mainstreaming in the city aims primarily to include women’s perspectives in planning decisions and in so-called “exploratory tours.” This concept, which was invented in the 1980s in the Americas, involves groups of women surveying their neighborhoods to extract observations, positive or negative, and suggestions. “The way women look at things changes things,” Helen Bedard points out. They will be systematically concerned with the general pacification of the neighborhood, which benefits everyone in this way. They think globally. For example, they will suggest installing benches that will be used by seniors, families, children and people with mobility issues.

“The women will systematically take care of the general pacification of the neighbourhood, which will benefit everyone in this way.”

Vienna is often cited as a source of inspiration, as are Brussels, Barcelona and Berlin. Since the 1990s, the Austrian capital has launched around fifty projects involving gender equality. Example: Seestadt Aspern, located in the eastern suburbs, which should accommodate 20,000 inhabitants in 2030. The development was based on consultation with women about their needs in terms of housing, transport, security, leisure, mobility and work. Nurseries, shops, offices and co-working spaces are located at the foot of the buildings to better reconcile private and professional life. The streets and squares all have women’s names.