Architectural Strategies for Women’s Empowerment: Comparative Analysis of Gender-Responsive Interventions in Global South Contexts

This research explores how architectural design strategies can effectively contribute to women’s empowerment. In development contexts, women’s needs vary, ranging from relief and healthcare to education and economic income generation, each requiring a different strategy. Given the lack of an analytical framework to elucidate these gender-sensitive architectural interventions, we draw upon a theoretical framework encompassing the five dimensions of empowerment, along with the spatial dimension we have introduced, as well as the concept of spaces for Harvey and Lefebvre, and feminist critiques of architecture. We develop an analytical tool to evaluate gender empowerment in architecture, applied to eight projects in diverse contexts across the Global South: countries in Asia (Bangladesh, India, and Israel), Africa (Rwanda, Morocco, Malawi, and Tanzania), and Latin America (Mexico), that share common features such as structural gender inequality, development challenges and conflicts. Projects are analyzed according to the six dimensions of empowerment, resulting in a matrix. The matrix reveals three strategies: short-term tactical, long-term structural, and flexible transitional strategies that act as an intermediate solution between short-term tactical and long-term structural strategies. Within each, there are concrete design strategies. Our study demonstrates that structural strategies are the most sustainable and effective in achieving women’s empowerment dimensions. This study constitutes an additional step toward a design framework that guides future architectural practice toward sustainable empowerment-oriented projects for women.