‘Female only’ parking spaces spark outrage in China

[The introduction of female-only parking spots at a rest stop on a Chinese highway is stirring up debate / Quartz]

The introduction of extra-wide, female-only parking spaces in China has been met with harsh criticism on Chinese social media.

A service area along China’s Hangxinjing highway features several parking spots intended to accommodate female motorists, Quartz reports. The pink spaces are 50 per cent wider than traditional parking spots and make up eight of the rest stop’s 370 total spaces.

The reason for the move to female-only parking was implemented after the service area’s director, Pan Zhuren, said he noticed women generally had trouble both reversing and parking properly.

The spots have been around since March but have been gaining more attention ever since pictures of them were posted on a Chinese social media website.

Some users have called the gendered parking areas sexist towards women, while others have praised the pink spaces as simply being a considerate accommodation.

Despite any good intentions, it turns out China isn’t the only place where gendered parking spaces have stirred up debate. As Global News points out, the female-only parking controversy has also popped up in Austria, Switzerland and Germany.