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Imagine the City of the Future for Gender Equality
In the city of the future for gender equality, all women can lead self-determined, independent and safe lives, and where they are visible, participating and leading.
Marina Hanke. 2022. Women’s city of the future. In the report “Next Generation EU” Cities: Local Communities in a Post-Pandemic Future.
Source:
https://eurocities.eu/latest/the-city-of-the-future-for-women/
https://www.urbanet.info/safe-cities-for-women-and-girls/
https://cawp.rutgers.edu/facts/levels-office/local/women-mayors-us-cities-2021
Picture source: https://unhabitat.org/2022-year-to-transform-our-cities
Cities have been the birthplace of societal progress throughout history. Today, there is one issue that unconditionally requires leadership from cities and a strong commitment from urban citizens: advancing progress towards gender equality and women's empowerment.
Marina Hanke is a city councillor of the City of Vienna, the Vice-Chair of the Committee on European Affairs and a member of the Committee on Housing, Urban Renewal and Women. The following is an edited excerpt from chapter 6 The City of the Future for Women, the City of the Future for All of the report, The Next Generation of EU Cities: Local Communities in a Post-Pandemic Future. I add data and research findings from other countries, especially China.
The European Union is at least 60 years away from reaching complete gender equality, according to data collected by EIGE (European Institute for Gender Equality) through their Gender Equality Index – a tool that measures the progress of gender equality in the EU. Only one manager out of three in the EU is a woman – even less in senior management positions. In regional assemblies, women are highly underrepresented with only 29% of female members. Women's hourly pay in the EU is on average 14.1% less than men’s – which equals almost two months' salary, while they shoulder the responsibility for most of the unpaid work that must be done.The Covid-19 pandemic and its associated economic crisis have further aggravated gender inequalities. While women have been overrepresented in the frontline of the pandemic, equal access to the economy has decreased. The high amount of unpaid work has increased, and at the same time, higher unemployment rates put more women at risk of poverty. The pandemic and the social and economic crisis have also exacerbated domestic violence against women, particularly intimate-partner violence.Cities as key players
We need the political commitment and efforts at all political levels in establishing a gender-equal society. The national level is required to take legislative action in fighting discrimination, but cities play a crucial role in creating an environment that supports, empowers and protects women. Gender inequality is still deeply based and structurally anchored in our society. Outdated role models position women in the private sphere, caring for children, the elderly, husbands, fathers and brothers. The place for men is in the public sphere – in the labor market for the family income, in politics for designing society, in academia, sports and culture. The Covid-19 pandemic is the most profound setback in the last decades, confronting us with a massive backlash in gender roles and gender division of labor. Austrian economist Katharina Mader states that we have clearly seen – again – that women are like the "social airbag", cushioning the effects of crises. Alongside homeschooling, home cooking, supervising children, women are working at the forefront of the pandemic or working from home but additionally carrying the burden of coordination and looking after young and old dependents.
Hence, to guarantee progress and long-lasting changes, we need truly transformative action. Gender equality is a cross-cutting issue that needs to be integrated into all aspects of politics.
Tackling gender inequalities requires considering different perspectives and the struggles facing women, keeping in mind that gender-based discrimination intertwines with other forms of discrimination, creating even more marginalized and therefore more vulnerable groups. We will now set out the vision of future cities for women – cities, where all women can lead self-determined, independent and safe lives, and where they are visible, participating and leading.
Self-determined. Independent. Safe
The fight for a self-determined, independent life for all women is a long-standing cause of women's rights movements all over the world. Self-determination covers several aspects – beginning with the right of women to have control over their own bodies, to decide where to live, what work to do, or whether to have a family. Self-determined life for women is only possible if there is no economic dependence on other people or institutions, and if we can overcome outdated gender-roles, limiting the opportunities for women.With Project Nordost, Gothenburg targets foreign-born women of working age who live in the northeast to support them in entering employment or education, offering individual and group experiences in a project lasting about 18 months. Employment is critical to independence, therefore an especially vulnerable group is targeted in this project, to guarantee a self-determined and independent life.
Nantes is fighting against the gender pay gap at the local level by empowering women. #NégoTraining, a free 3-hour training course for women, works on strategies for being successful in salary negotiations. Impact studies show the success of #NégoTraining: 60% of women trained are confident when applying for a raise or promotion one year after attending the workshop. When they do, the workshop experience helps them to raise their salary: 7 out of 10 women have used the tools proposed in the training and have obtained an improvement in their salary or professional situation.Gender is strongly linked to sense of safety, which in turn affects behavior and shapes how the city is used and its resources accessed. Street surveys as part of the Gender Inclusive Cities Program (2009-2012) revealed gender as the number one personal-identity related factor that contributes to their lack of safety.Findings from a 2011 Gallup Poll surveying 143 countries, showed that there is a worldwide gap between the sense of safety felt by men and by women. Figure below shows the countries with the greatest difference between men and women's sense of safety – the 'safety gender gap'. Worldwide 10% more men than women feel safe walking alone at night in their neighborhood, but in high income countries this number jumps to 23%.
Gender-based violence is deeply rooted in our society, in a male mindset of possession over women. In the city of future, sufficient and adequate women's shelters and easily accessible hotlines or consultation centers are in place. Our aim is that no one will suffer from violence in the future. Therefore, awareness campaigns and prevention work will always be on the political agenda. If we want to tackle gender-based violence, we must tackle toxic masculinity right from the start – working with everyone, beginning with our youngest citizens – on non-violent behavior, women’s rights and stating an unambiguous zero tolerance policy on violence. We also have to be alert to new forms of violence, emerging with new technologies and changes.Visible. Participating. Leading
In a city of the future, women and men are represented equally – in politics, in public administration, in management positions, in academia and in the public space. Our cities are no longer designed exclusively from a male perspective, policies include the perspectives of all citizens who can engage and participate in city life. Only 16% of mayors in Europe are women and only 29% of members of regional assemblies in Europe are female, whereas women make up half of the population.As of May 2021, per CAWP research and population data from the U.S. Census, of the 1,621 mayors and officials who perform mayoral functions of U.S. cities, towns, and minor civil divisions with populations over 30,000, 407, or 25.1%, were women.In China, the proportion of women in the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) has continued to increase. At the 13th NPC, there were 742 female delegates, accounting for 24.9% of the total number of delegates. This was the highest proportion of female delegates in the NPC's history.
At the 13th CPPCC, there were 440 female members, accounting for 20.4% of the total number of members. This was also the highest proportion of women in the CPPCC's history. However, the proportion of female NPC delegates and CPPCC members still only accounted between one-fourth and one-fifth, far below that of men.
The number of Communist Party of China (CPC) members has continued to grow in recent years, and the proportion of female party members has seen a steady increase. By the end of 2018, there were 24.67 million female CPC members nationwide, accounting for 27.2% of total party members.
At the 19th National Congress of the CPC, women accounted for 24.2%. However, among the members of the CPC Central Committee and the alternate Central Committee, women only accounted for 8%.
Overall, women’s participation in the political sphere in China is still limited. The proportion of women in leadership at all levels was still very low, with female officials occupying fewer chief leadership positions and often being assigned to deputy positions. This is inconsistent with the status and role of women in economic and social development, reducing the influence of women's participation in social life.If women are underrepresented in politics, their perspectives and needs are missing in the actions taken. This not only prolongs gender inequality, but it also calls into question the credibility of our democratic system. In our future cities, not only is there a 50/50 representation of women in mandates, but we also make sure that women and men are equally represented in different policy areas – economy, finance and urban planning are no longer male-dominated, whereas socio-cultural fields are no longer the only policy fields where women can engage. To promote women's participation and representation, cities need to act at several levels. Equal representation in boards, committees, private companies and public administration hierarchies has to be addressed with binding commitments, like quotas. At the local level, empowering women and offering them opportunities for participation is another crucial aspect.The cities of the future for gender equality
In the city of the future, we consider the different experiences and needs of all our citizens in urban planning. Our public spaces are more people-friendly, safer, pleasant. Most European cities were designed with a male-view, not considering any other needs than going from home to work, at mostly set times, by car or public transport. Gender-sensitive planning has proven to be an effective tool in creating equal opportunities in access and participation for all citizens. It considers the needs of persons who are often overlooked, has an eye on the equitable distribution of space and time, supports a planning culture informed by everyday needs and supports the evolution of interdisciplinary planning expertise. The design of public space is also a powerful tool to make women visible. Monuments and street names mostly remind us of powerful men, creating the impression that women do not belong in the public sphere. Who and what is represented in public spaces sends a message to all citizens about what is valued and who belongs. In our future cities, the diversity of our population is equally visible and represented in public spaces, in cultural events, art and communication of the government and administration. Citizens of marginalized groups no longer get the feeling of being unseen and unheard, of not belonging. Young women are inspired and empowered because women are equally represented as great thinkers, creators and leaders.To overcome gender inequalities, we need structural changes in all parts of society. We need a fundamental rethink in all minds, in the economy, sports, culture, education, media, academia and many more spheres. Municipalities can take a key role in initiating transformation by offering examples for gender equality.
Tackling outdated gender roles opens opportunities for people of all genders, integrating different perspectives in our politics and enabling the participation of all our citizens, creating stronger identification with our cities and increasing the sense of belonging and engagement for society. Exploring new ways in urban planning and development transforms our streets, parks and squares into thriving, vibrant public space where citizens come together and get connected. Cities are committed to creating a gender-equal future. As Sally Kneeshaw sums it up: "Gender Equal Cities must continue to be addressed and communicated as a fundamental question of justice: an equal right to the city for all". Cities should pioneer the paradigm shift that can make cities – and the world – a better place for all.
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