ABSTRACT
Daphne Spain proposes adding changing gender relations to the list of reasons behind the transformation of urban space from the modernist monocentric city to the postmodern polycentric metropolis. This chapter brings the issue of gender into the debate about urban theory. Spain's gender perspective provides important insights into the way in which women's entry into labor market affects the spatial structure of cities and urban processes. Gender relations are determined by women's status, which often responds to demographic changes. Traditional gender relations in the United states made women economically dependent on men because men engaged in paid labor while women performed unpaid work. In respect to women's status, Chicago and Los Angeles are a century apart. Chicago at the beginning of twentieth century, middle-class women were expected to stay home while their husbands or fathers went to work. The absence of men during World War II opened new jobs for women, allowing them to receive the training and wages.
