Seoul scraps women-only parking spaces amid diversity drive
- Priority spaces, marked with pink paint stick figures wearing skirts, were introduced in 2009 to protect women amid a series of violent crimes
- Critics say they discriminate against men and further promote the stereotype that women are bad drivers, worsening the gender divide
Women’s priority parking spaces at public buildings and other large-scale facilities such as department stores in Seoul will disappear, beginning this year, 14 years after the policy was first introduced.
According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, such parking spaces will be changed to family parking spots, so that a more diverse group of people can enjoy the benefits regardless of gender.
Women’s priority parking spaces, marked with pink paint stick figures wearing skirts, were introduced in Seoul in 2009 as part of measures to protect women amid a series of violent crimes committed against women, especially in underground car parks at the time.
The policy called for a move to allocate more than 10 per cent of parking spaces as priority parking spaces for women, in car lots that can accommodate more than 30 cars.
These female-friendly car parking spaces tend to be closer to the entrances of buildings and are often located next to handicapped spots so as to increase the safety of women. Additionally, some are longer and wider than other parking spaces.
Women’s priority parking spaces, however, have actually been perceived as women-only spaces, stirring up controversy in relation to female privilege and the effectiveness of the policy.