Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

German man sues for discrimination over female-only parking spaces introduced after woman was raped

Dominik Bayer claims the well lit spots suggest women can't look after themselves

Chiara Giordano
Wednesday 23 January 2019 20:05 GMT
Comments
Shoppers hit hatchback with trollies in Tesco carpark brawl

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

A German man has attempted to sue a town over "female-only" parking spaces which were installed in a car park after a woman was raped nearby.

The designated spots were put in place in a public car park in the Bavarian town of Eichstätt after the woman was attacked in 2016, according to German broadcaster Deutsche Welle. They are well-lit and close to entrances and exits to make parking there safer.

The area is also reported to be located close to a nursing home, where female workers often begin and finish their shifts early in the morning and late at night.

The town’s legal officer Hans Bittl has said the spots are only a suggestion to encourage men to leave them free for women and that any man who parks in one will not be prosecuted.

However Dominik Bayer claims the reserved spots discriminate against both men and women as he believes they suggest women need looking after.

The motorist, who is reported to be from the western Rhineland region, claimed the spaces go against Germany’s General Act on Equal Treatment.

However, Germany’s federal anti-discrimination agency confirmed female parking spaces do not violate equality laws.

Female-only parking spaces are commonplace in private car parks in Germany, such as in supermarkets.

Female-only parking spaces in Hangzhou, China, sparked a sexism row.
Female-only parking spaces in Hangzhou, China, sparked a sexism row. (Weibo)

Extra wide parking spaces for women have previously sparked a sexism row in China.

The large bays, which are 50 per cent bigger than an average parking spot and aimed at females who ‘have trouble reversing’, were introduced as a trial in Hangzhou in March 2016.

They are outlined in pink paint and feature a pink, skirt-wearing figure in the middle.

Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

In 2014, the South Korean government also introduced women-only parking spaces which are longer and wider than the country’s standard bays and marked with pink outlines.

Women-only parking spots have long been installed across the world, but typically only as a public safety measure and are not normally bigger than standard spots.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in