Gender classification in the built environment : using participatory mapping tools towards a critical analysis of community spaces related to the Maltese festa

Abstract

This dissertation looks at the concept of gender and space by utilising the case study approach as a methodological framework through the analysis of the festa community of St. Joseph in Rabat, Malta. The data is generated through Participatory Geographic Information Systems (PGIS) and Participatory Action Research (PAR) in order to comprehend and interpret the situation of the segregation of space surrounding the festa community in Malta. Gender is defined through characteristics generated by society and culture, subjecting males and females to certain behaviours that are expected of them through genetic codes (Eagly, Beall & Sternberg, 2004; Rudman & Glick, 2008). In general, a community typically portrays a sense of belonging, bringing together individuals with different mentalities who support each other and come together through hard negotiation and compromise (Tonnies, 1963). The socio-cultural characteristics can however result in a segregation of space where the gendering of communities can ensue, defining a varied sense of belonging. The way society has constructed how the female uses space and her disempowerment, results in spaces which can have a sense of belonging or dis belonging, being acceptive or restrictive (Fenster, 2005). PGIS can be defined as the integration of professionals and the local community to pursue the collection of data concerning a certain space based on the voluntary gathering of traditional knowledge (Ghose, 2007; Ramasubramanian, 2010). Through the implementation of an online project 'Gender Classification and Space', this research aims to carry out an in-depth understanding of four distinct spaces within this particular festa community to overall understand whether this community is gendered or not. The findings from this study portray a community where 'gendering' does not happen consciously, but rather through socio-cultural perceptions that regulate the activities and how one uses space. The female gender is not relegated to the private space, but rather females could be seen inhabiting several of the public community spaces observed. There were however contributions which stated that females do visit certain spaces simply to undertake their domestic duties, conveying that societal perceptions relating to characteristics and duties of the female gender persist.