Space, gender and sexuality

Abstract

During the last half of the 20th century, the increasing involvement of women in activities and their access to education have enlarged job opportunities due to social, economic and political changes occurred in such period. This also resulted in a weakening of traditionally patriarchal family schemes.

The term “gender” is a social construction that reveals the cultural inventions of a society expressed in the creation of both architectural and urban spaces for two reasons: urban spaces are a reflection of our society; thus, symbolic spaces that represent patriarchal cultures as social constructions of heterosexuality and cultural male dominance should be questioned.

The question should be posed, then, if establishing architectural programs and situating families as the social cell and origin of housing is an updated approach, but especially, if urban image should be a reflection of male dominance.