(Un)safe Spaces: Navigating Risk and Protection in Pakistani Women's Hostels

Abstract This paper contributes to feminist urban geographies by drawing attention to gendered danger in the supposedly “safe” space of a women's hostel in urban Pakistan. While hostels are supposed to protect women against male sexual violence, residents suffer physical, financial, emotional, and reputational forms of danger. Hostel residents carry out safety work to mitigate these threats within the private space of the hostel, showing how gendered forms of danger and safety management continue to play out in supposedly “safe” spaces.