World Hum | Travel | Women-Only Beaches: The Debate Continues

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8.20.08

Women-Only Beaches: The Debate Continues

Every time a new women-only travel option makes the news—recently, we’ve noted the revival of women-only hotel floors, and even an all-female hotel in Saudi Arabia—the question is the same: Is this new development a rare oasis for women, or an obstacle to full equality?

That question is raised again by this Agence France-Presse report about the growing number of women-only beaches popping up in Egypt.

Many of the women interviewed for the story seem thrilled to have the option. “It is wonderful here,” said one, adding that the mixed-gender beaches were “unbearable.” Meanwhile, the founder of Egypt’s first single-sex beach defended the practice, arguing that he was catering to “the needs of the community.”

But for me, that’s the catch: If mixed-gender beaches are so uncomfortable for women that they can hardly bear to visit them ("I have no other option but to go to a women only beach,” said one woman), can single-sex beaches really be called luxuries, places that women visit by choice? In some ways I can see the fun of lounging for a day at an all-female beach with my friends—but when the visit becomes my only choice, it rapidly loses its appeal.

Related on World Hum:
* Women’s Travel E-Mail Roundtable

Photo by kashmir via Flickr (Creative Commons).

Posted by Eva Holland • 8.20.08
Categories: Weblog • Egypt

Permalink • Comments (3)

COMMENTS

I personally do not have problems with one-sex beaches. Why should anybody care that there’s an “opposite sex only” beach? Just go to the regular beaches if you please. The same goes for any other one gender only locations. Only if these places become predominant in their areas will there actually be cause for concern.

By Torah on 10.15.08 at 01:48 PM

Yes True,why the growing number of women-only beaches popping up in Egypt??can single-sex beaches really be called luxuries, places that women visit by choice?

By Femanol on 10.31.08 at 01:23 AM

It’s my opinion that having single sex only beaches is a step in the right direction towards equality. If women start to experience the pleasure of beach going its only a matter of time until more and more women insist on being treated as equals on multi-sex beaches.

It’s certainly better to have 1 option than no options.

By Sam Wilson on 10.31.08 at 06:15 AM