Women-Only Pink Parking Spots In China Are Being Dubbed As ‘Sexist Parking Spaces’
It is a common notion among people that women are not the best drivers. Both genders come up with supporting arguments explaining their point of view. I am not going to debate if its true or false, but it is what it is. But it seems like, someone in China also believes women are terrible drivers, and especially when it comes to parking, they need extra space than usual.
Also Read: Traffic jams and prices of parking lot tickets during Eid holidays
The City of Hangzhou in China started an initiative to provide extra wide women only parking spaces in the city. But the effort caught the attention of the people in the wrong way, and it started a debate in Chinese social media (Sina Weibo) whether the city government was being sexist or not.
Pan Tietong, the service area’s manager, told the state-run newspaper, the Qianjiang Evening News:
“The bigger parking spaces are for women drivers whose driving skills are not superb. It’s a humane measure.”
People on Chinese social media have dubbed the pink-lined parking spots as ‘sexist parking spaces’ and calling it a blatant act of government level sexism. People are blaming the city government to play on the stereotype that women are worse drivers than men. These so-called sexist parking spaces are 1.5 times wider than the standard city parking spaces.
Bear in mind, out of 361 parking spots available in the parking lot, and only eight have been widened and reserved for the women drivers. The service area’s manager has defended the decision to provide wider parking spots, stating that several women who visit the lot have actually demanded larger spaces themselves. It is yet to be seen if the city government will remove the space in the name of equality, or keep them as an added measure. Keep in mind a similar pink parking spot spat has already happened in China just last year.
What do you guys of such women only parking spaces? Are they sexist, or it just a pre-caution? And if not, should something like this be done in Pakistan as well or not? Let us know in the comments section below.
1. The 2 photographs above do not belong to the article. The number plate is simply not Chinese style. Chinese number plate has white letters on blue background.
2. Pakistan has no concept of parking slot or lane marking. If there is parking space, there are 2-3 streets of پتھارے on it and the adjacent road lanes. Otherwise people are usually parking on their own, specially if you parallel park your vehicle, 2-3 motorcycles will perform 0-degree parking across your front and back bumper and leave you completely unable to move.
Therefore, in Pakistan, in the first place, parking slots should be made available and behavior of motorcycles should be controlled. Only then we will see whether there is a need for women’s parking spaces or not.
Absolutely true .. feel like killing these motorcyclists who park in front and back as if the little space was the only plot their daddy left them in his will. Plus yea have seen multiple times that for some very odd reasons ,, most women drivers do not drive with care n caution like males and this is a universal thing noted in USA too.
Did any of you also read it as “Sexiest” parking spot?