Rädslans geografi - om "privata" kvinnor och "offentliga" män

Abstract

The intensified demand for security, safety and crime prevention is creating a growing industry all over the world. Parallel with the development of crime prevention and the discussion of security measures, women's fear of male violence has been made visible. This is mostly due to women's grassroots organisations and the work of feminist researchers. Feminists have argued against the findings from previous quantitative investigations, pointing out that women experience a fear that differs from men s, due to the threat of sexual violence. This research has also increased our understanding of other groups' fears in present day society. The concepts of private and public are relevant to the discussion, because fear is strongly connected to public urban spaces. Definitions of these concepts vary, and they can be connected to spatial, legal, political, or social issues. If consideration is given to the historical context in which these concepts appear, the nature of the social organisation of the gender dichotomy in space becomes clearer. Measures to secure public safety often focus on the importance of creating a sense of community in the public space. These measures include the creating of private spheres within a public space by building enclosed spaces or providing guards. An understanding of the nature of fear and a concept of public space as multiple and complex will lead to demands for other solutions than those of creating enclosures and borderlands within the urban public space.