Ciudad, ciudadanía y género. Problemas y paradojas

The feminist concern about the city arises from questioning the unequal distribution of spaces and the differential assignment of household and public spheres, by stating that the city scenario is where everyday’s life is set up, social
processes develop, and women mobility and activities correspond with “feminine” stereotypes, infl uenced by a male perspective both for the planning and for the prevailing culture. Citizenship originates in the cities, but these present gender unequal patterns, the sharp private
from public separation associated with the feminine and the masculine in the metropolis, the spatial structure that hinders use and access to the benefi ts of the city, the lack of green areas and infrastructure, or the lack of safety, which
affect women more deeply. Therefore, the claim for the right to the city in the organizational practices of popular urban women, showing inconsistencies, defi ciencies, and weaknesses in the traditional notion of citizenship. This paper shows these contradictions both on a theoretical
and a practical basis, because between confl icts and negotiations, freedoms and restrictions, women inhabit and re-inhabit the city everyday, in privileged spaces for the democratic exercise. These topics are examined in this article, where new and old issues involved in the discussion
are analyzed in the light of a set of practical fi eldwork evidence in popular neighborhoods of the city of Concepcion, Chile.