The Gender Data Gap

Gender data is when researchers analyze

males and females separately and collect information on certain topics, problems or studies (Temin and Roca, 2016). When

there is a lack of data from one gender, typically female, it creates a knowledge gap. When data fails to account for women,

it creates many harmful issues causing women to be misrepresented or forgotten in society (Temin and Roca). There is a

lack of data from the female perspective concerning the way they move and travel within a city. A specific area where there is a shortage of data is pedestrian movement and care worker’s needs. Since

municipalities prioritize the circulation

of cars, pedestrians’ needs are often

undermined (Criado-Perez, 2019, p.35).

From a gendered perspective, women are more likely to be pedestrians than men (Criado-Perez, 2019, p.35). They are also

more likely to be doing care work that involves pushing prams and travelling with children (Criado-Perez). Car-centric

Figure 1.3 A woman climbing the snow on the sidewalk in Winnipeg (Postmedia Network Inc, 2020).

societies have forced pedestrians to have narrow sidewalks, improperly scaled lighting and minimal crosswalks. It is mainly women who are being affected by these poorly designed public spaces, but there is not enough information and research published to make noticeable changes. It is easier and more costeffective for designers and municipalities to continue designing for the male default standard. If professionals continue to design in this mindset, there will always be a gender data gap.

These gender data gaps exist in many communities. An example of one existed in Karlskoga, Sweden. There was a lack of knowledge concerning the way women travelled in the mornings during the winter months (Criado-Perez, 2019, p.32). After

examining their policies and traditions, they discovered that since women were travelling by foot in the winter mornings it was causing high injury rates from slipping and falling (Tummers et al., 2019,

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p.83). In 2010, the city implemented a

new route for snow-clearing to improve women’s safety. They changed their route

to prioritize pedestrian pathways, rather

than roads, starting with the sidewalks at hospitals, elementary schools and other public offices (Tummers et al.). This is

because “according to the statistics, more women than men use public transport and take children to school in the morning, walking or cycling” (Tummers et al.). Since

it is easier for a car to drive through twofeet of snow than it is to cycle or to push a pram, the local hospitals discovered that there were fewer injuries from slipping and falling (Criado-Perez). After implementing

this new route, the city’s healthcare system

noticed they were saving money from treating fewer injuries and from potential lawsuits (Criado-Perez). By analyzing their

common practices through a gendered lens, Karlsgoga experienced the benefit of having safer pathways and roadways.

In Karlskoga, and many other cities around the world, snow clearing was not intentionally designed to primarily benefit men - there was a gap in perspective. “The men (and it would have been men)

who originally devised the schedule knew how they travelled and they designed around their needs. They didn’t deliberately

set out to exclude women. They just didn’t

think about them” (Criado-Perez, 2019,

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p.32). This is just one example of how a lack of perspective can cause harm and unnecessary injuries. Yet, by gaining new perspectives and ideas, pedestrians of all genders benefited from this new snow clearing schedule.

Urban planner Eva Kail is attempting to fill the gender data gap in her community. She has been collecting data on pedestrian travel patterns and pursuing solutions for Vienna’s streetscape (Criado-Perez,

2019). In Vienna, Kail has implemented

forty new pedestrian crosswalks, more ramps for prams and bikes, widened 1,000 meters of sidewalks and improved

lighting on pedestrian routes (Criado-

Perez). This thesis will go into more

detail about Vienna’s gender sensitive

planning initiatives, refer to page 46. Kail’s determination and eagerness for

equality has proven there can be changes made in our cities when people start to acknowledge the needs of women. A gap in perspective can be filled when given the right tools.

If more data was collected from the point of view of women, municipalities and designers would be far more educated on how to provide safe public spaces for them. The safety and well-being of residents should be a high priority for the experts that are designing our communities.