Das Patriarchat der Dinge

REBEKKA ENDLER
DAS PATRIARCHAT DER DINGE. Warum die Welt Frauen nicht passt/
THE PATRIARCHY OF THINGS. On a world unsuitable for women

ca. 250 pages, Spring 2021
English sample available

How androcentric design shapes our environment

A powerful feminist voice

Man is the measure of all things. Literally.

Our environment was designed by men for men. In Das Patriarchat der Dinge, Rebekka Endler opens our eyes to the androcentric designs that are all around us and demonstrates the potentially life-threatening consequences they can have for wom-en. All of conventional medicine, for example (apart from gynaecology) is calibrated around the male body – from diagnostic processes to medical devices to the dosag-es of medications. Crash test dummies in cars are also based on the male physique, and so, by extension, is the whole car, including the airbags and seatbelts. The public space is designed for men too: architecture, infrastructure, transport, even the number of public toilets. But whether or not a street is lit at night can have a huge impact on how safe women feel outside their own four walls.
Who survives a heart attack? Or a car crash? Who feels cold at work? Who finds technical devices easiest to operate? Who is the internet for?
The patriarchy is the author and designer of our environment. Once we become aware of that, we suddenly see these questions in a very different light.

Rights sold: Al-Turjman (Arabic World); Editions Dalva (French); Solbitkil (Korean); Znak (Polish); İletişim Yayınları (Turkish);