Page 87 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 13 February 2018
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But I want to emphasise that considering gender does not always mean considering women. We know that men are more likely to complete suicide, despite the fact that just as many women attempt it. We know that more boys than girls are diagnosed with ADHD or being on the autism spectrum. Examining gender is not just about women and girls, it is also about men and boys and it is also about those who identify as somewhere in between.
Understanding these gender differences is important to governments and policy makers alike. For example, women use transport differently from men. Because women have a more varied pattern of movement around, they are the ones who are primarily dropping off the kids to school, looking after elderly parents, attending medical appointments with family members or buying groceries, whereas men more often commute in predictable patterns to and from work each day.
Simply widening footpaths, providing additional lighting at bus and light rail stops and installing ramps for prams can make public transport and moving around the city a lot more accessible. Considering gender means considering inclusion. If adjustments are made on gendered needs, then fewer people are excluded from participation in community life.
Research in Brisbane shows that 81 per cent of cyclists are men, with similar statistics in Melbourne. Nationally, only 23 per cent of commuting cyclists are women. When we design bike paths we must ensure that they are adequately lit, they do not wind through dark parks where there are few people. We must make sure they are safe, particularly for women, but of course, if they are going to be safe for women, they will be safe for all of us.
Use of women’s safety audits, such as I understand is now being done with the Multicultural Festival, can influence the design of an event, taking into account the need for prams, quiet spaces or security. Because this is safe and accessible for women it will mean it is safe and accessible for people with a disability, older people or very young people.
When it comes to urban planning, Vienna provides a shining example. There, city administrators create laws, rules and regulations that benefit men and women equally. They have adopted gender mainstreaming approaches to education and healthcare policy, but nowhere has had more impact than the field of urban planning.
Before projects begin they collect data to determine how different groups of people use public space. They define the needs and interests of the people using public space, and the planning is done to suit those needs. For example, they set about designing and building housing that would make life easier for women. Time-use surveys showed that women spent more time on household chores and child care than men, so they built a series of apartment buildings surrounded by courtyards with circular grassy areas, allowing parents and kids to spend time outside without having to go far from home. The complex has an on-site kindergarten, pharmacy and doctor’s clinic and is in close proximity to public transport to make running errands and getting to and from school easier.
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