Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
World
Samuel Osborne

Extra-wide parking spaces 'for women who can't reverse' spark sexism row

Extra-wide parking spaces for women have sparked a sexism row in China.

The female only parking spaces in Hangzhou are 50 per cent larger than other spots, feature the female gender symbol and have a pink outline.

They are being trialled for female drivers who have trouble reversing, a manager told Qianjiang Evening News.

The gendered spaces were introduced in March and make up eight of the 370 spaces available, but the manager said he would consider adding more if they are successful.

A photograph of one of the spaces was uploaded to Weibo, China's version of Twitter, and quickly sparked a sexism debate.

"Where are the feminists? This is such obvious gender discrimination," one user wrote, according to a translation by Shanghaiist.com.

"If you're going to discriminate against women like this, why don't we get larger parking spaces when we're taking our driving tests then?" another said.

Others disagreed, writing: "They're not saying that women have to park there.

"They're just offering them to women who aren't good at parking. It's a great idea! Where's the discrimination?"

In 2014, the South Korean government introduced women-only parking spaces which are longer, wider and marked with pink outlines.

Women-only parking spots have been installed in the past throughout the world, but typically only as a public safety measure. The spaces are usually designated near entrances or exits in poorly-lit car parks, and are not normally expanded for the benefit of female users.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.