Mr. Ambien Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 'Women-only' parking: sensible or sexist? Frankfurt Airport is one of many places in Germany to offer women their own 'bigger and nicer' parking areas. Is this sensible practice or plain sexist? Frankfurt Airport has a special announcement for female drivers on its website. Want to bag yourself a parking space that's "bigger, nicer and close to the terminals"? Well, you'd better reserve your place in one of the airport's 'Ladies Parking' areas. These reserved spaces are "colour-coded and easy to find." Germany's main air hub is not alone in this practice. In some states it's a legal requirement that as many as 30 per cent of parking places are designated for female drivers. “It's very patronizing for women to be singled out in this way," Geraldine Herbert, editor of Wheels for Women magazine told The Local in reference to parking spaces being advertised as wider. "All this does is reinforce the stereotype that women are bad at parking.” Instead of these "sexist parking spaces," Herbert said, parking spaces in general should be made larger, "as many are simply too small for modern cars." A safe space for women The idea of women-only parking places in Germany originated in the 1990s, when it wasn't so much women's convenience that was up for discussion – but their safety. Women felt at risk from sexual assault in underground car parks, it emerged – and as part of a policy to reduce this sense of risk, special parking spaces were introduced. The spaces were near to car park exits, well-light and often under video surveillance. Nowadays, regulations for women's parking spaces differ from state to state across Germany. Whereas in Brandenburg 30 per cent of spaces must be designated for women, in Hesse - where Frankfurt is the largest city - it is 5 per cent. Yet women aren't forced to use the specified spaces – and there's nothing in the German traffic code that prevents men from using these spaces too. 'Men are better at parking' But, in 2012 a Black Forest mayor caused controversy when a new car park opened in the town of Triberg. Alongside women's parking spaces, the new car park also included spaces specifically for men – which were harder to maneuver into. Mayor Gallus Strobel explained the decision as natural, claiming that men were simply better at parking than women. "We found that two places were not rectangular, at an angle to the road and placed between walls and pillars," he told Der Spiegel. "This makes parking difficult so we decided to allocate them to men." Again, though, the gendered parking wasn't legally stipulated – and women were welcome to try and use the men's spaces, Strobel said. Frankfurt Airport meanwhile defended itself against charges of discrimination. "Hessian garage regulations stipulate that at least five per cent of public car park spaces must be specified women's spaces," a spokesperson explained in an email to The Local. "And we have more than fulfilled this quota." It's up to the female drivers themselves whether or not they use these spaces, she added. "We have extremely high security measures across our car parks, which we have made even higher in these designated female spaces – through brighter lighting, quick access to exits and extensive CCTV surveillance." "The measures we have taken do make female drivers feel safer in our car parks, and add to the quality of customers' stay here." "Both our male and female customers also expect us to provide such parking spaces," they added, "so in our view they're necessary." An ongoing debate The German Automobile Association (ADAC) echoed the view expressed by Herbert that parking should be made safe and convenient for both genders. "We believe that in car parks, every parking space should be a "women's" parking space," they told The Local. "This means making sure every space and stairwell is well-lit, avoiding blind spots and corners and installing sufficient electronic security systems - most importantly video surveillance and emergency call systems." The creators of women-only parking in Germany may have had safety in mind – but some still see these gendered spaces as unacceptable. http://www.foxnews.com/..or-sexist This has got to be one of the funniest debates going on in Germany -- but it's become more of one because of the increasing amount of women-allocated spaces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heretic Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 New mothers with babies - sure... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancaster Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 I know there are "women only" train cars in Japan, but that's usually because there are lots of weirdos and perverts there. While the article mentions that woman felt less safe in a parking lot, but I wonder if there's any facts to claim that women actually get harassed and sexually assault more and how do those number compared to just crime in general. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-DLC- Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 Women with babies (only). The rest of us have fought for equality and this would be part of that. We're able bodied humans like men are and can walk to/from the parking lot Security is a valid issue (as brought up), but anyone is vulnerable in a remote, dark, secluded parking spot. So it's about using street smarts and making choices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Ambien Posted August 1, 2015 Author Share Posted August 1, 2015 Women with babies (only). The rest of us have fought for equality and this would be part of that. We're able bodied humans like men are and can walk to/from the parking lot Security is a valid issue (as brought up), but anyone is vulnerable in a remote, dark, secluded parking spot. So it's about using street smarts and making choices. To replace the current parent w/child spots that tend to be next to handicapped spots or added to those? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xbox Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 I find the whole equality debate a complete joke when I read stuff like this. Its like they want equality and then some. Im all for equality, I'm just not for equality plus more (voiding equality) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etsen3 Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 I find the whole equality debate a complete joke when I read stuff like this. Its like they want equality and then some. Im all for equality, I'm just not for equality plus more (voiding equality) Actually it seems feminists are against this because of the stereotype that women are bad at parking. Anyways I don't see what the purpose of this is at all. As deb said security issue is definitely legitimate but even men could be targeted by theft (just an example) in an underground lot. As the one lady in the article said, a better solution would be to improve parking lots in general. Parking spots for pregnant women are a different story, those are necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etsen3 Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 I know there are "women only" train cars in Japan, but that's usually because there are lots of weirdos and perverts there. While the article mentions that woman felt less safe in a parking lot, but I wonder if there's any facts to claim that women actually get harassed and sexually assault more and how do those number compared to just crime in general. There are plenty of stats that show that women are generally the victims of sexual assault and harassment. That is indisputable. Men can be victims too (a fact that is often completely overlooked) but it's not nearly as likely. Of course, both men and women and their cars can also be targets of other crimes in areas like underground lots such as theft, assault, vandalism, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master Mind Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 If there was a women-only parking lot, I'd think it would have the reverse affect for security, since criminals could just target those lots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Weasel Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 If there was a women-only parking lot, I'd think it would have the reverse affect for security, since criminals could just target those lots. Yeah, that's what i was thinking too. It just makes it easier for predators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-DLC- Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 To replace the current parent w/child spots that tend to be next to handicapped spots or added to those? Quite honestly, just make sure there are adequate parent with child spots (for both men and women who have to deal with getting kids in/out of vehicles). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ice orca Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 Yeah, that's what i was thinking too. It just makes it easier for predators.Meh they would just no look back up over the perv. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newsflash Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 If there was a women-only parking lot, I'd think it would have the reverse affect for security, since criminals could just target those lots. I disagree. Most sex criminals are pussies. I don't hear too many stories of sexual assault in women safe spaces. I think that's why a lot of girls feel safer sometimes in groups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Monahan Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 Yeah, that's what i was thinking too. It just makes it easier for predators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Ambien Posted August 1, 2015 Author Share Posted August 1, 2015 Wouldn't be in a barrel. They'd have larger parking spaces. So more like fish in a swimming pool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancaster Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 There are plenty of stats that show that women are generally the victims of sexual assault and harassment. That is indisputable. Men can be victims too (a fact that is often completely overlooked) but it's not nearly as likely. Of course, both men and women and their cars can also be targets of other crimes in areas like underground lots such as theft, assault, vandalism, etc. I guess I should have worded it better. Yes, woman are the target of sexual harassment and assaults more often than men. What I was initially trying to ask was what is the inherent danger when it comes to places like parking lot. Say if women are 10% more likely to have sexual crime committed against them there, it on the surface appears that women have a legit concern. But at the same time, if men are 10% more likely to be robbed, beaten up, etc in those same parking lots, then it's not really a safety concern for just women, but just safety issue for the public in general. Hopefully that made more sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mustapha Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 Sounds ridiculous if you ask me. I have heard all the 'sexual assault' and 'harrassment' arguments, but people are more likely to get jacked for their wallet, and men and women both are at risk for this. Seems like progressive ideology isn't always a good thing, I feel the same way about about affirmative action policies and 'social justice' thinking in general. It's the 21st century version of religious fanaticism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaimito Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 Just think about Men only parking is okay. You have your answer there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Sikes Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 I'd prefer an idiot free parking lot, where we ban the morons who shoe-horn themselves between two cars so close they can't open their doors all the way, when they have half the parking lot empty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monty Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 As a man, I don't care either way. Whatever gets people to stop talking about it so I can watch sports is alright with me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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