Sarah Dar

The safety of women in public spaces has become an increasingly unsettling issue in South Africa. One of the most severe violations of human rights that continues to occur in communities worldwide is gender-based violence, a deeply rooted phenomenon that stems from gender inequality. Gender-based violence affects both men and women, but women and girls comprise most of the victims. Public spaces have favoured the safety of men, whereas women struggle with concerns for their well-being in the same environments. There is a need for a re-imagined concept of women only spaces, in which women can evolve in, facilitating the creation of more secure surroundings and spaces. The proposal for this thesis is a Skills and Development Centre for women. The Centre aims to create and facilitate women owned businesses in male dominated spaces with the research predominantly focusing on women’s empowerment through education, and further investigating past architectural theories on women-only design.