Gender and Housing: Appropriation and Use of Space

Abstract

This study sought to analyze how women heads of household in both urban and rural settings use, transform, and give meaning to housing at the intersection of autonomy, caregiving, and income-generating activities. Seven women were interviewed using a phenomenological-hermeneutic approach that included in-depth interviews and domestic-space mapping. The findings indicate that kitchens, living rooms, and patios are transformed into spaces of production, care, and sociability, and that participants reorganize and expand their homes through self-construction to accommodate their entrepreneurial activities while facing constraints related to space, cost, and access to services. These findings substantiate the dual nature of housing as shelter, workplace, and means of livelihood, and demonstrate its capacity to serve as an anchor for identity and community. The study argues that housing policies should recognize women's self-management and incorporate gender perspectives that promote more flexible and equitable homes.