Occupy Gezi in Berlin. Randomizer, in Thursday's Souciant
It is interesting the effect the proportion of women can have upon the perception and nature of a protest. Both for the purposes of preserving peacefulness, for public relations, and likely for persuasiveness, it should be something considered by organizers of any movement. IMO (and as a male) there is something particularly disarming about a gathering with a large female contingent.As a seasoned demo goer, the gender balance was especially striking. Like punk gigs, in my experience, political protests, particularly of this nature, tend to be heavily dominated by men. Especially in recent years, at the anti-austerity protests I’ve attended, in several different European cities, as well as in the United Kingdom. There’s always a high testosterone count in the air, which is oftentimes so thick, you can cut it with a knife.
I think it was great PR too. I particularly concur on the disarming part. I spoke with a Turkish colleague about the gender representation. He said it surprised everyone, and attested to the fact that Erdogan has especially alienated female voters in Turkey, as well as in the diaspora. Based on what I saw, he couldn't have been more correct.