The story of spatial sexism

A short introduction in comics

Fear education and differentiated socialization

Running is one of the most popular outdoor activities. And yet, whether we’re perceived as men or women, we don’t practice outdoor activities and public places in the same way. And with good reason: we don’t socialize in the same way.

Very early on, little girls are told to be wary of the outside world, that it can be dangerous: “Be careful not to come home too late“, “Don’t go out on your own“, “Send a message when you’ve arrived“. As women, we know these phrases by heart. Just as we know by heart 1,000 other ways of protecting ourselves: the keys in your hand, the fake phone call, the change of outfit at the end of the evening… It’s all part and parcel of our relationship with the outside world.

Public spaces: designed by and for men

On the contrary, men were very quickly encouraged to take possession of space : in playgrounds, 80% of space was occupied by boys, and urban planning was designed by and for men. Street names are overwhelmingly male, and the management of population flows is based on a masculine use of space. There is also a considerable absence of women occupying important positions in the city’s urban planning.

Gender stereotypes and insecurity

This difference in our relationship with space is also reflected in sexist clichés: women can’t read a map, nor do they have a sense of direction. In the collective imagination, “a woman’s place is in the kitchen” and in the home, while a man’s place is outside, conquering the wide world.

Remember that according to a 2024 DREES study, still 1 in 5 French people think that “ideally, women should stay at home to raise their children.”

Added to this is the sexualization of women’s bodies in the public space: 100% of women on public transport have experienced harassment.

From the way we think about spaces, to the education we receive, it’s easy to understand why the outdoors is not experienced as a safe space for women. According to an Adidas survey of 9,000 women aged 16 to 34, 92% of them are afraid of being attacked when they go running.

Historical perspective: from body control to emancipation

This spatial analysis should be seen in the context of the history of sport, and of women in sport in particular.

Women’s sporting activities have always existed, but the 19th and early 20th centuries marked a veritable reactionary turning point in Europe : women’s sporting activities were seen as potentially damaging to fertility and leading to “confusion of the sexes”, and the feminine ideal was now seen as immobile and silent.

It was not until 1984 that the women’s marathon was allowed in the Olympic Games, thanks to Kathrine Switzer ….

Women’s running is developing alongside the fight for women’s access to sport: more and more women are entering competitions, single-sex races are developing, and federations are being forced to change their rules.

The aesthetic injunction of the ’80s

The 80s once again encouraged women to take up sport, but above all for aesthetic reasons: it was important to stay slim and not develop an overly muscular body, which was still considered a “man’s body”.

Running thus becomes an easy and inexpensive way of meeting a new feminine ideal, without, however, erasing the constraints of space and socialization mentioned above.

Inequalities in access and barriers to adolescence

Nevertheless, women’s participation in sport remains an important social issue : studies show that it evolves according to age and social class.

This is because of the financial cost, the lack of professional opportunities, and puberty, which is accompanied by increased social pressure on women’s bodies, at an age when sport is still seen as a means of “channelling boys” and essential to their development.

This observation is in line with the fact that access to public facilities is still profoundly unequal: 75% of public spending on leisure activities for young people goes to boys, all activities taken together. Outdoor sports facilities are designed for boys, and sports or activities with a higher female representation are less subsidized.

Reappropriation and politics of the body in motion

Today, the answers to these problems don’t come from the authorities, but from the sportswomen themselves: numerous night and/or group running initiatives, sometimes offered on a non-mixed basis, are emerging in more and more towns, and communities are forming on the networks, particularly around running and hiking or trail running. Trail running is also benefiting from the growing representation of female athletes.

The representation and presence of the female body in the public space is neither trivial, nor devoid of political stakes. Nor is the fact that this body is in motion. Because running means experiencing space differently, claiming to exist where patriarchy has tried to make us disappear.

It means reclaiming not only our bodies, but also our living spaces. It’s about giving ourselves the possibility of having our freedom within our reach, while perpetuating a multiple heritage and the continuity of feminist struggles.