Document Type : Research
Authors
1
M.A. Student in Environmental Planning, Department of Environmental Planning and Management and HSE, Faculty of Environment, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
2
Ph.D. in Environmental Planning, Department of Environmental Planning, Management and HSE, Graduate Faculty of Environment, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
The rapid expansion of cities, coupled with the challenges of urban life, has highlighted the requirements for sustainable development. This study aimed to examine and identify the network of issues confronting women in the urban sphere as a prerequisite for a women-friendly city. A qualitative approach was adopted, using grounded theory as the research method and semi-structured in-depth interviews as the data collection instrument. To achieve theoretical saturation and maximum variation for explaining the phenomenon under study, 25 participants were interviewed through purposive sampling, both face-to-face and virtually. Axial codes, categorized as causal conditions, included “the formation of cities based on men’s systems of thought, needs, and capabilities,” “insecurity of urban spaces for women,” “confinement of women to the domestic environment and household responsibilities,” “imbalance in the allocation of economic and social capacities and opportunities,” “lack of new and supportive legislation commensurate with the needs of women in modern society,” and “limited and difficult access to urban facilities, services, and public spaces.” Intervening conditions comprised “financial opacity in the system for calculating and paying women’s wages,” “the dominance of outdated and erroneous social values concerning women’s active participation in society,” “the absence of women representatives across professional, decision-making, planning, and legislative hierarchies,” and “the incompatibility of HSE, aesthetic, welfare, and environmental standards with women’s needs.” Contextual conditions included “the persistence of patriarchal, traditional, and restrictive governance patterns in urban management,” “the absence of affirmative measures supporting women’s presence and agency in the urban sphere,” and “the perception of women as second-class citizens and inadequate valuation of women’s work and activities in society.” Finally, the findings were presented in a paradigmatic model centered on the core category of “marginalization of women and exclusion of their participation from urban spheres.”
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