Gender and Place
Activity 1 Objectives
Students were asked to explore the different experiences men and women have in there day to day lives. This activity ask them to create their daily route either of a single women with kids or a single man with no kids, to see how long it takes using a gps.
Reflections
Activity 2 Objectives
Single women with no children
Each women must go to one location and pick up one object
Single women with no children
Each women must go to one location and pick up one object
Single women with kids
Mother and her children had to pick up nine items and go to two locations
Single man no kids
Each man had to pick up one object and go to one location
Reflections
Married couple with no children
Couple picked up two items and go to one location
Married couple with children
Couple picked up six items and go to two locations but had the opportunity to split up
Single man no kids
Each man had to pick up one object and go to one location
Students were provided routes and assigned to specific group sizes they were asked to follow these routes and pick up and certain amount of objects along the way. The students were unaware that these routes represent a specific group of people, such as a single mom with multiple kids. The length of their route and amount of objects they had to pick up signifies that group or persons responsibilities
Students found that the single women's route took considerably longer the single man with no kids. When discussing how we as designers could impact this route there was mention of mixed use communities so responsibility such as going to the grocery store, going to work, and dropping kids off at daycare could be at a closer proximity and limiting the amount of the time spent in a car. Route was made longer because of the commute times.
After student finished their routes and collecting their items they were told what group they represented they were asked if what they were asked to do felt like a good representation of the those groups and they all agreed, they also were asked how they felt about their tasked, the groups with no children felt like their routes and task were easy to pick. While the group representing single mother and children felt, like there task was unfair as they didn't have enough time to go to both location, so they didn't but were able to pick up their nine items, but they felt this properly represents a single parent as they probably feel the same, having a lot of responsibility but not enough time.