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Feminist
geography is a branch of human geography which applies the theories, methods
and critiques of feminism to the study of the human environment and society. Its principal
focus of study is geographic differences in gender relations and gender
equality. In addition to
its analysis of the real world, it also critiques existing geographical
studies. Feminist
geographers do not suggest that there is some sort of plot going on, but
identify trends and ask questions, and most importantly reflect on the
geographical nature of women's experiences. A simple
example would be to consider the way that urban planning has a gender
dimension with the expectation that men travel to a distant location for
employment while women are involved with child care, basic shopping, and
domestic functions in a suburban location. Why have cities
evolved in this way, why have new towns been planned in this way, and by
whom and with what ideology? Another
illustration of this approach to geography is to study gender differences in
terms of personal access, mobility and safety, especially in respect to the
design and use of urban space and open places such as public parks and
footpaths. The experience
of walking alone through a city centre late at night or public park even in
daytime is likely to be different for males and females and also for people
of different ages, cultures and so on. In this respect
feminist geography is part of a broader postmodern approach to the subject
which is not primarily concerned with the development of conceptual theory
in itself but rather focuses on the real experiences of individuals and
groups in their own localities, upon the geographies that they live in
within their own communities. However,
feminist geography is not limited to the local scale. One example of
a global topic of feminist geography research is the worldwide migration of
women from the Third World to the First World to perform domestic labor and
sex work. |
