Female only housing and reaction to it

[RhaenysRocks]

Haven't seen another thread on this but apologies if it's already somewhere. Ealing creating a tower lock for female only residents. NOT a safe house in the traditional sense of being hidden away but female only for feelings of security etc. Depressing reactions on SM, mostly around "what about men?" "Who's going to build it"? and inevitably the question of transwomen. Also an interesting point raised about male children and what happens when they turn 18. AIBU to think this is a good initiative and it's depressing that so many reactions are automatically ignoring the valid concerns of women who are typically more vulnerable than men and crying "double standards" rather than acknowledging that it is male behaviour that has created a perceived need for this?

Thanks all...really interesting. I agree the partners and most importantly sons are the stumbling point but you could make a case for saying that you would expect to be moved on once male children reach 12 or so, but as a pp said, there'd have to be a comparable facility for them to move to. Just chucking them out would be hugely destabilising.
For those talking about segregation, noone is suggesting it would forced on anyone, but the option would be nice, especially for child free women who were happy to abide by the rules of no male guests. I can totally see why this would fail in practice but that doesn't mean it's a bad idea....maybe women should consider joint tenancies on bigger houses to share costs, childcare etc..back to hippy commune style!

The worlds gone mad with womens rights.
Im all for it but is it just me that thinks sometimes it goes to far.

It’s true though

That all teenage girls are bullies except you and that poster? Sure.

Given the statistics on VAWG why would this optional space be "too far"? In what other ways has it gone too far?

You have to dig into the other thread a little to find a link to this article

https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/women-renters-welcome-at-novel-new-block-but-men-shown-the-door?c8209c5bpage=4

Men will only be able to live in the block if they become a tenant's partner or if they are the adult child of a female tenant and inherit the tenancy.
Transgender women, including people intending to undergo gender reassignment, will be allowed, but men who cross-dress, transgender men, and anyone with a known history of male violence against women or children will not.

So don’t think it’s being set up as a convent.

Edit: But then there is some conflicting information regarding the landlord’s requirements so who the hell knows 🤷‍♀️

It’s about a means of achieving an end goal. Housing associations like Women’s Pioneer Housing, the housing association who will be a counterpart in the Acton women’s development, recognise that women often live within within a unique context which makes secure, affordable housing a particularly necessity whilst making it harder for them to obtain it - they’re more likely to be lone parents, to have to leave a relationship and their home due to abuse, women still come up against wage discrimination and the gender pay gap, single women from many minority communities are sometimes disadvantaged by patriarchal attitudes towards their lives and educations, and older single women are disadvantaged by having grown up during times where they had less control of their own earnings, ability to work in the first place, to pensions and savings and home ownership.

It’s hardly new-fangled. Women’s Pioneer Housing was founded in the 1920s by suffragists, who understood the importance of providing women with good quality affordable homes of their own, as part of their wider fight for women’s equality. Indeed, it’s in the origin stories and histories of how many of the UK’s housing associations were founded in the twentieth century: recognition that particular groups (women; Jewish people; Irish people; Caribbean people) often lived within a particular context and had particular housing needs which meant obtaining the secure and affordable housing they needed to advance and live ordinary lives was difficult.

As with many organisations and initiatives to promote and advance women’s needs and causes, men are just as capable of organising themselves to promote and advance men’s needs and causes.

It puts me in mind a bit of the nurses homes that used to exist for the single female nurses. It allowed them to live close to the hospital for shift work and in a communal, supportive, safe environment.

What is the point of it if men are allowed to live there? Not a women only block then.

A lot of councils already house single mums/women and families together. My ex when I was a teens mum lived in a block like this. It had a great community, lots of kids who played together, felt very safe amd communal. They had no single men alliwed to be housed there.
I am not sure the practicalities of all women and no men allowed because of older children and partners.

I was making a wry, dark observation. It's called feminist satire.
I am sorry the BBC has done such a number on you

Oh, not always @RhaenysRocks , I lived in one for three years back in the late eighties/early nineties - the first two years were single sex, and the third year became mixed due to changes in nurse training.

The first two years, single sex, felt oppressive. Girls sneaked boys in anyway, and we had a 'matron' type housekeeper who clearly believed we were agents of Original Sin. It was like being in Jane Eyre.

When the boys moved in, well, there was some adjusting to do. But, just as before, everyone had their own rooms, and to be honest the atmosphere relaxed quite a lot. It was certainly no less safe.

So, I can see why single-sex are essential for specific places like DV hostels/safe houses. But, generally - no, unless you're a nun or monk, society is mixed-sex and it helps nobody to live in isolation.

What about the male homeless?
Is there a similar initiative for them?

That’s interesting - I don’t think it is what most women want either. However, I can’t see any reason why it might not suit some women very well. Some people are happiest single and some are lesbians, so maybe they would be well suited to it. Not every housing solution suits all people cos we all need a house and we’re all different.

It's a great idea in principle. But the trans brigade will soon be along to say it should also be for men that identify/dress as women and the whole idea of it gone...

But they moved out to get married and certainly weren't allowed children (of any sex) outside of marriage.

@BoudiccaRuled well no, but that's what I mean I suppose..it could work for single child free women but not easy to practically manage otherwise.

Sure..any mens' charity is welcome to set one up. Why is this always the response? When there's as much VAMB as there is VAWG maybe there'll be more impetus for a similar thing for men.

This. Stupid idea. There are good and bad in both genders.🙄

if I’m being honest I don’t really like the idea of this. I just think it hasn’t been fully thought out.

Firstly, are none of the residents going to have men over? Or male children? What if they get married and want to stay living there? What if they need help from male family members or tradespeople? If there’s no restrictions on visitors, then how would they police men moving in? It would just naturally become mixed gender surely.

I also read that a proportion of the flats are specifically left for victims of domestic violence for example. With respect, having a group of victims of DV living in close proximity could be a recipe for disaster if not handled well. These women are vulnerable, may require mental health support for example, and may even be targeted by their abusers. If one man comes over kicking off trying to locate someone he knows, it might traumatise others living there who don’t know him but are triggered by his actions. You might even get women who are scared of their abusers to the extent they let the man inside and can’t get rid of him because he won’t take no for an answer. Again, who is actually going to enforce a no males allowed rule? Are they going to step in if a potentially volatile man arrives?

I think this is a horrible idea. It’s just fuel for the anti feminists and its stuff like this that makes so many people want to disassociate themselves from feminism.

This isn’t about giving women equality. It is discriminatory and divisive. Women are already much more likely to have secure social housing than men thanks to the biology that allows them to have children. We can’t make society better by deliberately centering one sex as more important than the other.

What's stopping men from caring about their homeless peers and setting up charities to help them?

These flats aren't for the homeless, and allow transwomen (biological males), and boyfriends to be moved in, so sadly aren't for women at all.

I think this is a fantastic idea for lone females and think anyone who has ever had to find a house share as a single woman would agree.

This is such a misogynistic comment.

Girls are only not nasty when boys are there to distract them?

Yes, girls can be bullies, just as boys can. I don't deny that. But your comment is vile.

The teenage girls I know fiercely defend other girls and women, I am SO proud of them. They call out internalised misogyny like yours when they see it.

My working environments have all been women or mostly women and apart from usual personality differences it has been great.

Please don't repeat things like this. It feeds into untrue stereotypes used to oppress women and make a mockery of us.

We don't need men to control us or keep us on our best behaviour, thank you very much.

Your comment didn't come accross as "satire". If that is truly what you were doing, PP isn't the only one who misunderstood.