Labour council is forced to apologise after being accused of ‘pure, old-fashioned sexism’ in plans for a children’s park with a specific area for girls to sit and chat_Nhy
A Labour-run council has been forced to apologise after its plans for a children’s park to include a specific area for girls to sit and chat was labelled as ‘pure, old-fashioned sexism’.
Brighton and Hove City Council unveiled special spaces in play parks for girls to socialise next to more rough-and-tumble equipment such as slides and climbing frames.
A poster for the park showed three half spheres close to a slide and climbing frame, which were labelled as ‘three half spheres to create social spaces for girls with informal seating/climbing’.
The proposals – which are part of the £150,000 refurbishment of Hove Park – have been blasted by parents as a ‘return to the 1940s’.
One mother told The Times: ‘It claims to be a social space for girls to interact but shows one girl engrossed in her phone and not communicating at all with the other.
‘Why do people presume its only girls that want to sit down and socialise and chat together when boys love doing it as well? Also, girls love the rough and tumble of the playground. The council is guilty of pure, old-fashioned sexism.’
A poster for the park showed three half spheres close to a slide and climbing frame, which were labelled as ‘three half spheres to create social spaces for girls with informal seating/climbing’
The proposals – which are part of the £150,000 refurbishment of Hove Park – have been blasted by parents as a ‘return to the 1940s’.
Council officials enlisted Kompan, which provides state-of-the-art children’s play equipment across the UK, to help design the plans.
According to Caroline Millar, the chairman of trustees at charity Make Space for Girls, research shows that public spaces intended for teenagers are entirely dominated by boys’.
She said the charity was pleased to see the council creating a space that ‘acknowledges many girls want something different’.
Ms Millar added: ‘When we talk to teenage girls, it’s clear they are looking for inclusive, welcoming, safe, and sociable spaces. They want to be active, often in ways that differ from boys, with features like fixed gym equipment and swings.
‘They also want places to sit and talk, as well as landscapes designed to make them feel safe.’
The Sussex-base council issued an apology saying all play equipment was designed with inclusivity in mind.
Council officials enlisted Kompan, which provides state-of-the-art children’s play equipment across the UK, to help design the plans
The Sussex-base council issued an apology saying all play equipment was designed with inclusivity in mind (file image of the current Hove Park)
Alan Robins, the cabinet member for sports and recreation at Brighton & Hove city council, said: ‘This area should not have been labelled as being specifically for girls. It was certainly not a comment on how we expect girls to use our play areas and I apologise if that’s the impression we gave.
‘During the tender process for our play areas, all contractors are scored on accessibility, inclusion and spatial equality and when agreeing final designs, we follow national best practices.
‘We have also taken advice from a range of charities, including those campaigning for parks and public spaces to be designed with teenage girls in mind.
‘This is not just about providing modern equipment but creating a welcoming environment in which teenage girls and women feel safe at all times of the day. All our new play areas have clear sight lines, multiple entry points and no areas where people are hidden from view.’
