Proposal

Fallacies of Femininity

The presence of women in urban space

“The twentieth century urban skyscraper, a pinnacle of patricharchal symbology, is rooted in the masculine mystique of the big, the erect, the forceful – the full balloon of the inflated masculine ego.”

-Leslie Weisman²                                                

            Urban space has been dominated by masculinity beginning with even the architecture of the buildings. Women’s presence in the urban environment has often seemed awkward, as the mere construction of the city does not accommodate her.² A woman’s domain has been primarily inside the home, removed from the public. Since man has occupied the public ad become the leader of the public, it essentially leaves women ‘homeless.’¹ She is constantly living in a male-created world in which she is submissive and abides by the rules.  She has been a private entity, not to be seen or heard from. Female presence in urban space has obviously increased over time along with the opportunities afforded to us. However, there continues to be a dichotomy between femininity when in the urban setting as opposed to the rural. An urban or suburban woman has a completely different life experience than does one in a rural area. Urban women are known to be working women, whether you are working in office or in the streets. The word ‘urban’ becomes a connotation for sexuality and pleasure, an individual woman in the city becoming a ‘public woman’ or prostitute.³ Even in the office, women are subjected to sexual discrimination and unfair wages. Women in management positions are often stigmatized as being too “harsh” or manly,” often being labeled a “bitch.” Queen bee syndrome has come to describe a woman who, when she gets into a position of authority does not help other women rise through the ranks (Association for Psychological Science). In rural areas, women are not stigmatized as prostitutes nor are they associated with being business women. This distinct separation within femininity in urban space is intriguing. This is precisely why I chose to focus on the urban rather than the rural.

            The dichotomy between these two types of ‘working women’ exhibit exactly how space can impact a so-called social construct. Femininity is not just a social construct. It relies on its atmosphere as much as its atmosphere helps to shape it as a whole. The workplace is an especially intriguing setting when it comes to female presence. Spatializing gender is essential to finding out how we can improve our circumstances in any region we choose to occupy.

Conceptions of Feminity and Space

I am writing on the topic of gender differences between the rural and urban settings on the east coast because I want to find out what role location plays in identifying femininity to help my reader better understand the spatial context in which gender constructs are created.


I thought focusing more on femininity would ground my argument more but I can still see this being too broad/. Any suggestions?

Gender-ating Ideas

For years, the social construction of gender has maintained the order of men as the “breadwinner” and women as being in charge of the domestic. As times change, technology improves, and new places develop, location plays an increasingly important role in gender construction.  We still see our typical domestic mother and working father, but the roles become intertwined and even reversed in certain cases.  Now, we have so many concepts of the “family” and it does not just include patriarchal. Patterns begin to emerge in certain locations that reveal circumstances that may impact our perceptions of gender.  Different regions vary in their access to resources (i.e. family planning centers) and also have certain social stigmas that have been maintained throughout the years.  Maintenance and loyalty to these traditional values can lead to a dominant gender structure that residents of that region feel obliged to follow.  For example, certain locally owned businesses may not hire women because they still believe women should stay in the household.  Despite numerous legislations against sexual discrimination, hiring pregnant women continues to be an issue of discrimination. Just because legally discrimination is not allowed, most people choose to believe it does not exist.

                With the emergence of the LBGT community, which is more prominent in bigger cities, the line between man and woman continues to be blurred and skewed in a way that masculine and feminine have no definitive meaning.  A popular family structure nowadays even includes a homosexual couple with an adopted child. Soon enough, the entire concept of gender may become irrelevant.   

                Women have not been favored in and even omitted from our historical references. Men have represented the hegemony in society and the common family unit was a patriarchal one.  The men had the jobs and the women ran the household. The wife was submissive to the husband and took care of all the children that took two to make.  Since time has passed, women are able to obtain jobs and some fathers are even stay-at-home.  Our society is shifting from one of industry to one of information, and location is a prominent factor in determining what sorts of jobs will be available. This may affect concepts of gender as some jobs may be considered masculine (ex. Construction work) and others feminine (ex. Hair stylist).  How has the location impacted these notions of gender? What exactly constitutes a masculine job?  In some small towns, women still cannot obtain a position of authority while in other towns have women mayors.   Why are there still distinct differences in concepts of gender between rural and urban areas? How can one define these concepts and what role does location play in each? Are there different expectations of men and women in rural and urban areas?