Will Aiding Soles In Seoul Help or Hurt Women?

August 5, 2009 3:00 pm     Posted in News  Marisa - Wesleyan University g+ page

walking in heels copyWhen you’re wearing high heels, the last thing you want to do is walk a long distance from your parking space to the store. Well, frankly, the last thing you want to do is walk at all, which is kind of impossible. But the city of Seoul in South Korea is all over this one with its Women Friendly Seoul Project, a plan to turn the city in a more heel-friendly place. Sounds pretty awesome, huh?


By Marisa

The city plans to paint close to 5,000 public parking spaces pink to reserve them for women. Other measures are being taken as well to improve the overall quality of life for women in the city. The program will pave streets to make them more high-heel friendly, improve lighting, build additional women’s public restrooms, create safe parks for women, add more public day-care centers, and expand an already-existing women’s taxi service. By 2010, the city’s transformation into a so-called women-friendly haven will be complete.

While these improvements may help reduce the frustration of everyday inconveniences for women in Seoul, they will probably not foster gender equality, which is a hot-button issue in South Korea that the government has had limited success in addressing. In fact, these efforts just might undermine women’s attempts to compete in a male-dominated society.

Improving lighting in public spaces, building more public restrooms, and creating more public day-care centers are undoubtedly necessary services in Seoul; they have to do with public safety and improving conditions so that women can work. However, the issue of the pink parking spaces doesn’t sit very well with me. As much as I’m sure we would all love to have parking preference close to the store, why should we lose our dignity to do it? Creating these parking spaces reinforces the notion that women are second-class citizens in need of a boost in society. And, really, do the city officials in Seoul think that parking spaces painted pink will elevate women in a male-dominated culture?

What women in South Korea need are opportunities. They need more choices for childcare and other aid that will allow women to enter and stay in the labor market. They need real help that doesn’t put women down in the process. But this issue doesn’t just end at Seoul’s city limits; if governments around the world are going to launch initiatives to help women, they need to be more substantial than a painting project.

8 Comments on "Will Aiding Soles In Seoul Help or Hurt Women?"

  1. Lauren H - The New S says:
    Wed, 5th Aug 20091:38 pm 

    i agree that's it's not very gender equitable, but still, it's a nice dream… like if NYC had moving sidewalks so i could just stand there in my lovely, painful shoes (sigh)

  2. Jenna says:
    Wed, 5th Aug 20092:52 pm 

    The parking spaces *could* be useful in a safety sort of way (I'm not a fan of walking out of Walmart late at night and trekking across the parking lot to my car; it's not the safest thing). However, separate spaces is one step too far. If you feel uncomfortable, find a security guard or don't park somewhere unsafe in the first place.

    Also, siting heels as a reason to re-pave roads is bullshit. Furthermore, I'd like to believe daycare centers would benefit men, as well as women.

  3. Lisa says:
    Wed, 5th Aug 20094:47 pm 

    Actually, the whole parking space idea has been implemented in other asian for "other" reasons: women are seen as bad drivers, and so they give them their own parking spaces to reduce collisions (the parking spaces are usually bigger, etc). My guess is this is actually the same idea in a different light :P

  4. Ang says:
    Wed, 5th Aug 20095:51 pm 

    Although the pink parking spaces are a little over the top, you have to admit this is a huge step for Seoul (haha?:P). Its nice to know that women are getting more consideration. & I live in Korea, so I know how Koreans over-romanticize everything. Its just kind of cute. :)

  5. Sarah says:
    Wed, 5th Aug 20096:17 pm 

    While I understand the point the author is making, I think reserved parking spaces for women is a great idea. I lived in Germany for five years and I have seen and used numerous parking spaces in parking garages designated for women (although they were not pink). While it may not be equal rights or "fair" one cannot deny that women are at a higher risk of becoming victim to violence in a parking garage or dark area. I think it's unfortunately a needed tool.

  6. J says:
    Wed, 5th Aug 20096:21 pm 

    I don't wear heels, because they hurt. Why would I wear them? Why does anyone? Oh, to look good for men.

    Sick.

    I am not going to sacrifice any part of me, including my feet, for anyone. It doesn't need to be that way.

  7. shari says:
    Wed, 5th Aug 20099:37 pm 

    i am a feminist, but i don't like most of these ideas. to me, feminism is about gender EQUALITY and giving women this extra special treatment is not equal. though improving sreet lighting and opening more day cares would benefit both men and women.

  8. ML says:
    Sat, 29th Aug 20092:27 am 

    what happens if you don't use your skill of walking? you get lazy and fat. so, i call that just plain, laziness.

    if you can't walk in heels, don't wear it. either that, wear flats and bring your shoes with you. it may be a hassle to do that but, at least, you can walk more comfortably. in fact, quite a number of women at work have a pair of heels to wear so they don't have to bring it.

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