Gender perspective

The gender perspective is not only about women in society. It is about the ways women and men interact and their ability to access resources and opportunities, in their communities depending on their being a woman or a man. Therefore, when any type of survey or analysis of a society is undertaken, it is important to have data that reflects the situation of women in comparison to the situation of men and vice versa.

Gender perspective in the urban planning process
There are various inequalities in society based on class, wealth, race, gender, disability, age, or other cultural factors. These factors make equal participation of all members of society in planning processes more difficult. It is necessary to ensure that all these voices are heard and considered. In addition to this approach, it is important to clarify what a gender perspective actually means when undertaking urban planning.

Women and men have different perceptions of security and further more different urban protection needs. Thus, „''gender is not only about women in society. It is about the ways women and men interact and their ability to access resources and opportunities in their communities depending on their being a woman or a man. Therefore, when any type of survey or analysis of a society is undertaken, it is important to have data that reflects the situation of women in comparison to the situation of men and vice versa''“.

Understanding the various situations, individual needs and perspectives of men and women therefore should inform all aspects of urban planning and management in a non-dogmatic way, as proposed by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme :

Gender perspective and urban planning strategies
Women and men have different perceptions of security, which leads to different urban protection needs. Understanding the various situations, individual needs and perspectives of men and women should inform all aspects of urban planning and management, as summarised in the following table:

A practical method to integrate the gender perspective into strategic urban planning processes is the Participatory Diagnosis.