Pornification, pinkification, violence against women, gender pay gaps and gender inequality issues are constantly in the news even if they’re not as popular as [shocking graph alert] Tom Cruise. Many of the inequalities that exist between male, female and transgendered people are hidden behind closed doors, inside accounting systems or within widely accepted, yet repressive everyday language. Gender inequalities can be both highly and intentionally visible, but unless we learn to think critically about what we see they too can pass us by and we become part of the passive system of tolerance for one of the greatest injustices the human race as ever inflicted upon itself.

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Guerrilla Geography Day on February 7th focuses on the theme of gender inequality and representation. Taking part consists of three steps./

 

1. Explore where and how (wo)men are represented. Products in shops, adverts in commercial spaces and public statues are just a few of the things you could look out for.

2. Collect evidence and think of a way to share what you have found. Do think about recording a range of information, including mapping the location and who has the power to create and control what you have found. You could also note who would see what you have found and what impact you think it would have on them.

3. Act on what you have found. You could make a heat map of local gender representations and ask your local newspaper to publish it or think of something more controversial, like this protest by the Craftivist Collective.

Making a safe space for thinking about, feeling, sharing and communicating your discoveries is important. Before and after you complete each step make sure that you take the time to (de)brief, reflect and evaluate your fieldwork.

This is radical, critical, creative and curious geography fieldwork of real importance. This is Guerrilla Geography. You don’t have to take part of the day itself and you can be as (un)creative as you want. Please do share your plans and add yourself to the International Guerrilla Geography map on our Take Part page. Good luck.