This article is really interesting and opens up space in my brain for another idea I have had bubbling away in the back of my mind for a while. creating positive, safe and engaging public spaces for girls is really important and as a mothers would certainly be something I welcomed greatly also. It’s true what the article says about many outdoor spaces being male dominated, skate park, pitches, courts etc and this is something I have been considering also when it comes to trying to find places to engage people, men in particular, in conversations around equality and porn/sex ed more specifically. When considering what interventions to try and create next I am interested in trying to examine this idea of male and female spaces for the intervention to exist in. Graffitti is also something I am considering since it’s mostly the domain of men presumably because it traditionally took place at night and contains an element of peril/danger.
Make Space For Girls sounds like a great initiative but it’s also clear that the funds and a lot of the will to want to change public spaces – especially updating existing ones – seems fairly lacking. Space in of of itself is an interesting feminist issue really. Taking up space both literally and metaphorically is somewhat stuck in a feedback loop of making sure women and girls are encouraged to do neither. I have been ruminating on a project that involves strengthening public spaces for girls but I am still feeling my way through it.
https://inews.co.uk/news/parks-designed-women-girls-safety-campaign-make-space-for-girls-1204606