Situation of Gender Segregated Leisure Spaces in Identity Construction of Girls

This paper is based on the interrelated concepts of space and power. Gender segregation of urban spaces is designed to control and manage public spaces that aim to represent Iranian and Islamic identities of cities and citizens. The question of this research is that how spatial segregation strategies affect construction of citizens' identity. The social spaces theory of Lefebvre and the power/resistance of Foucault have been chosen as the theoretical framework of the research. It is an ethnographic research and field data has been gathered by observation and in-depth interviews. We interviewed 10 girls aged 15 to 20 years who were regular users of Narges Park. In these interviews, we considered the park as a part of everyday life spaces of the girls. In the analysis, everyday lifestyle of girls in public and private spaces, their attitudes towards the concept of gender, and their gender-based actions are described. The role of girls in spatial discipline is recognized and categorized in three groups of accepting, rebellious, and critical. The results show that there is a need for social differences management and an inclusive approach to all age, social and cultural groups in designing gendered urban spaces.