| Title: |
Provocative spatial exclusion and missed opportunities : complaints of discrimination filed against gender separatist spaces in Sweden |
| Authors: |
Linander, Ida; Sandberg, Linda |
| Publisher Information: |
Umeå universitet, Institutionen för epidemiologi och global hälsa; Umeå universitet, Institutionen för geografi |
| Publication Year: |
2024 |
| Collection: |
Umeå University: Publications (DiVA) |
| Subject Terms: |
Anti-feminism; discrimination; separatist spaces; spatial exclusion; Sweden; womenonly spaces; Gender Studies; Genusstudier |
| Description: |
Today, we see many different forms of separatists and what may be a safe place for some may be provocative for others. In this article, we focus on separatist spaces, by analysing complaints submitted to the Equality Ombudsman, a governmental agency that supervises compliance with the Discrimination Act in Sweden. Through these complaints, we explore expressions of resistance to separatist spaces and how exclusion from such spaces is understood and made sense of. Hence, the aim is to, through analysis of complaints about perceived discrimination, explore which spaces and contexts are perceived as discriminatory and who is argued to be discriminated against. This analysis shows a clear pattern in how the complaints are filed against three different categories of places and contexts for women (gyms/swimming baths, The Statement Festival and contexts/networks for women). It is noteworthy that only one complaint is directed against a men-only space. The discussion focuses on how the definition of what constitutes discrimination spans between spatial exclusion to missed opportunities, how the complaints differ in terms of being expressions of personal experiences or a matter of principle, and finally, how the complainants argue that separatist spaces are constructing gender in specific ways. In conclusion, the complaints frame the gender separatist strategy as inherently exclusionary to men, threatening to their masculinity, unjustly portraying them as dangerous, and with complainants often casting boys and men as victims. Some of these complaints align with anti-feminist agendas, and some intersect with racist discourses about which groups of men that are to be perceived as dangerous. |
| Document Type: |
article in journal/newspaper |
| File Description: |
application/pdf |
| Language: |
English |
| Relation: |
The European Journal of Women's Studies, 1350-5068, 2024, 31:4, s. 510-526; ISI:001356714900001 |
| DOI: |
10.1177/13505068241300165 |
| Availability: |
http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-232291; https://doi.org/10.1177/13505068241300165 |
| Rights: |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.F05DBB5F |
| Database: |
BASE |