China’s Extra-Wide, Women-Only Parking Spots Spark Controversy
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moodboard/Thinkstock(BEIJING) — A shopping mall in northeastern China has sparked accusations of sexism after it created 10 pink, extra-wide parking spots for women only.
Painted in hot pink, the spots at the World Metropolis Center in Dalian say, “respectfully reserved for ladies,” and are about 11 inches wider than usual parking spots.
While some female drivers appreciated the tailored design, others called the parking spots sexist and disrespectful.
On the Chinese social media site Weibo, a microblogger wrote in Mandarin, “Is this for real? Don’t discriminate against women drivers.”
Another microblogger asked, “Is this implying that women are bad at parking?”
Yang Hongjun, a female manager at the mall, said officials just wanted to make parking easier for women.
“Women make up most of our customers,” she said.
Nevertheless, others disagreed.
“Why do women get all these advantages?” one male commentator asked on Weibo. “If you can’t drive, don’t drive. It doesn’t matter what gender you are. This is precisely reverse discrimination.”
In Seoul, South Korea, nearly 5,000 parking spaces near entrances of malls and other buildings were painted pink in 2009. They were designed to minimize the distance from cars to shopping for women wearing high heels.
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