Masculinization of the public: Perceptions about the use of public space in Chilean universities in the center and south of the country

Abstract

The use of public spaces has traditionally been linked to men, a product of patriarchy that has relegated women to the private sphere. Despite the important social transformations in women's rights, the use of public space continues to be masculine. This is reproduced in spaces such as universities, in which the use of the public is also masculinized. Universities are conceived as microcities that are characterized by having an urban distribution in which there are different spaces, which the students occupy depending on their gender. Using a qualitative methodology, this work presents results on masculinities and gender violence at the center and center-south level in traditional and private universities of the Chilean higher education system. In addition, it points out that public spaces within universities are used mostly by men and very marginally by women. The masculinization of universities would not only be linked to the institutionality itself, but also in the use of the university public space. The results of this work are organized according to the results obtained, distributed in three sections, namely: masculinized spaces; Highly differentiated spaces; and mixed spaces. © 2023 Editora CHAMPAGNAT. All rights reserved.