Do women have complete access to public spaces in Indian cities?
Whenever I wait for a friend in a public space, I tend to scroll through my phone for no reason or I pretend to be engaged in a call. A lot of us choose to wait in places such as bus stops or cafes to indicate to others that we are here for a reason,avoiding the judgmental gaze.
So why are women bound by the need to present a purpose to be in public? It is because of the narrow assumption that women who loiter are “undesirable”.
Why Loiter? Women & Risk on Mumbai Streets critically analyses women’s access to public spaces. Even 11 years after being published, the book stands relevant for analysing women’s safety and the idea of equality in public spaces. The findings in the books are drawn from a three-year research project, the gender and space project that focused on women and public space in Mumbai. Shilpa Phadke, Sameera Khan and Shilpa Rande, through the book, show how women are denied equal claim to public spaces in cities and look into the structural subordination of women in public spaces. The book is divided into four parts, covering every aspect of lack of inclusiveness of public spaces and the risks that comes with it. The book maps the class, caste, gender, religious and regional stratification affecting women’s public access. Although the book is based on Mumbai streets, the insights and findings of the authors become relatable to women living in other cities of our country.
No inclusivity
Women face a wide range of problems in public spaces from lack of inclusive designs of public infrastructure to the age-old patriarchal mindset and ideas. With the rise in violence against women in public spaces, it is crucial for the planners to design inclusive public spaces, catering to the needs of everyone in society. Public space should be all inclusive. The book urges women to celebrate loitering and taking risks. It is important for women to claim their rightful access and have fun in public spaces.
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