Space and Gender identity

Whenever we start to read or hear any kind of dialogue on gender issue, it seems like very easy to trace the outline: differences between men and women, right? But these days, amid wake of various gender studies discourses, things are not so predictable. And what constitutes gender issue has many overlooked dimensions that are slowly being accustomed in real grounds. Contemporary society even views geography as the podium to institutionalize gender identity through the use of physical spaces.

The wave of feminism had influenced on the discipline of geography since the 1970s. The study of gender under geography has introduced new theoretical concepts such as the gendering of physical space. Gendered spaces are the physical zones in which particular gender and particular types of gender based design are welcomed and other types are considered unfit for that place. Human activities have a spatial dimension and any public or private space is not stagnant physical entity. It’s constantly re-generated and changes accordingly with evolving cultural, individual actions and design. While building appropriate personal space, individual adaptability and subjective correlation with environment as well as social situation plays significant role. The aspects determining spatial appropriation differ with varying interest of women and men because our society is historically moulded under two-gendered system. In regard to spatial use, gender appropriation means that male and female often have counter environmental demands, conditioned by masculine or feminine behavioural pattern.

People usually take space as “gender neutral”, in other words, they consider that both women and men experience spatial zone in the same way. However every space designed by human automatically will either include or exclude gender based requirements. Thus, even without knowing this gender theory, people innately develop a tendency to create their own personal space in home.

In 2018, here’s how gender specific home divide are thriving: Men are getting into their caves and women in sheds. It’s after 90s that ‘man-cave’ culture empowered American guys to claim basement space and now the women are also making their own land grab. Marching on with somewhat unlikely trend of gendered personal spaces — the word ‘Man Cave’ has already secured its existence in cultural vocabulary. Man caves usually are dark underground room lit by harsh fluorescent bulbs or garage with masculine decor where men can watch sports or enjoy videogame. Some man spend time playing pool, musical instruments and fixing broken machineries , without disturbing any female sensibility of decoration or standard of cleanliness in home. Most man caves are dedicated to a man’s hobby and his yearning of self-expression — it says, this is my space and this is what I do in it. Man’s tendency of such space explains his gender consciousness, for instance rough design or garage setting indicate tough side of male personality.

Similarly, if you aren’t aware of “she sheds” it won’t be long before you do. Since couple of year, backyard dwellings known as She Sheds have lured many stressed-out women of western culture. Imitating the trend of culturally-accepted ‘man caves’, many western women are transforming gardening space into female sanctuaries where she nurtures her feminine interests. Typically built within walking distance from their back doors, these tiny huts are perfect for women who seek personal time for reading, crafting or even napping after long office hour. There exist no specific utilization of She Shed; they’re anything women want them to be, depending on her freewill. Some turn them into gardening areas while others use their Sheds as tea space or even yoga workroom. Much like their male counterparts, She Sheds are designed specifically to live up feminine life, without any male interference. Some activities like knitting, trying wedding dress, playing with baby — and other lady-things women usually prefer to do on hide. She shade is entirely framed to suit her personal taste, a space of freewill, but it also uncovers implicit gender reality that: ‘She can’t live up her interest in the rest of the house space’. Perhaps her shade can also be regarded as physical manifestation of growing female control and her need of self-governing space.

The desire for personal space goes beyond gender. It somehow touches Heidegger concept of ‘Being and Time’ in regard to spatial existence- or lived sense of space. Everyone wants their own place, where they can feel their being, and put their minds at little rest. Sometimes such personal space can be the key to marital harmony and particularly healthy for intrapersonal relationships. In unique way these space reinforce particular ways of being man or woman, and can maintain sound balance together. Thus every human being systematically guided by gender consciousness, constructs personal spaces and engraves collective sexual norms, traditional associations and imaginations into physical environments.