A SHOPPING MALL in China has been accused of sexism after they introduced 10 parking spots designed especially for women.
What’s the difference? They’re about 30 centimeters wider than normal parking spots. The spaces at the World Metropolis Center in Dalian are coloured pink and say ‘Respectfully reserved for women’.
The move faced backlash when people posted photos to Chinese social network Weibo, with one commenter saying “Is this for real? Don’t discriminate against women drivers.”
However, one male commenter was offended for different reasons, saying:
Why do women get all these advantages? If you can’t drive, don’t drive. It doesn’t matter what gender you are. This is precisely reverse discrimination.
The mall manager Yang Hongjun told AFP via the Shanghai Daily that their spaces aren’t discrimination at all.
It’s not an insult to women at all. If their parking spaces are larger, it’s only for practical reasons. It doesn’t mean that women drive less well than men.
It’s not the first time special female parking has been introduced. Wonder Mall in Hebei reserved special spaces for women in 2010 that were 80 cm bigger than the norm, complete with dancing parking attendants. Regulations in Baden Wurttemberg, Germany also demand that at least 10% of spaces in garages are kept for women near entrances to make women feel safer.
