Gendered space: Women's presence and use of space in Sabzeh-meydan of Tehran Bazaar

Abstract

As a traditional male-dominated space, Tehran Bazaar has been witnessing a surge in the presence of women and their activities for more than two decades. Building on Rose's paradoxical spaces, this study focused on a qualitative, ethnographic analysis of Sabzeh-meydan in Tehran Bazaar (which is the main entrance area of the bazaar) as a contested space and examined how women negotiate the norms and compete with men for appropriating space. Our findings suggest that although Sabzeh-meydan is a gendered space, women attempt to solidify their presence and extend the scope of their activities in this traditional space using specific tactics that resemble those applied in other traditional environments in the MENA region. They demonstrate respect for the existing norms to reinforce their presence, but they make use of even limited opportunities to add variety to their behavior. Particularly, by penetrating into the more enclosed inner parts of the space, women paradoxically affect the masculinity that seeks to control their presence and behavior in Sabzeh-meydan. These findings highlight the fact that improvements in the physical qualities of traditional urban spaces without considering the existing cultural and social context do not necessarily result in the maximum use of urban spaces by different social groups.