Urban space and environment

The neighborhoods and the city of Barcelona have very specific characteristics that condition the lifestyles, health and even freedom of the people who live there. These elements have different weight depending on gender.

Depending on the forms that cities take and how they organize activities, it is more or less easy to carry them out and share them.

Safety, surroundings or the environment are some of the most relevant factors that show gender inequality in urban space.

Preferences regarding the surroundings

There are three main reasons for choosing the area where one resides: the characteristics of the housing, the proximity to the network of friends and family and the environment. It is necessary to take into account how these differences can be conditioned by the fact that women have less access to a private car, less available time and also less income.

Safety in public space

Public space is a space of freedom but episodes of violence also occur there. Women see their autonomy limited for three main reasons: the risk of suffering aggression in public space is greater, security has been defined according to men's experiences and security needs, and they perceive the space as unsafe on more occasions.

Environmental behaviors and attitudes

People are more sensitive to environmental sustainability in the domestic aspects that they tend to be more responsible for. Therefore, women have a slightly higher level of awareness about the importance of everyday habits and behaviors in relation to environmental sustainability.

The sustainability of domestic and care work in the city

Most activities related to domestic work and care, such as daily shopping or children's educational activities, are carried out in the same neighborhood. This means that these tasks, in Barcelona, ​​are mostly carried out by walking. Strengthening neighborhood life is at the same time a mechanism that facilitates the carrying out of these tasks.