Prerna Āangan: The feminine de-mystique
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Authors
Patel, Nidhi
Author ORCID Profiles (clickable)
Degree
Master of Architecture (Professional)
Grantor
Unitec, Te Pūkenga – New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology
Date
2025
Supervisors
Hochstein, Gina
Rennie, Julian
Rennie, Julian
Type
Masters Thesis
Ngā Upoko Tukutuku (Māori subject headings)
Keyword
India
Indian women
women
rural communities
sex discrimination against women
feminist architecture
women's centres
courtyards
Gujarati architecture
Indian architecture
architecture and culture
Indian women
women
rural communities
sex discrimination against women
feminist architecture
women's centres
courtyards
Gujarati architecture
Indian architecture
architecture and culture
ANZSRC Field of Research Code (2020)
Citation
Patel, N. (2025) Prerna Āangan: The feminine de-mystique (Unpublished document submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture (Professional)). Unitec, Te Pūkenga - New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology
https://hdl.handle.net/10652/7272
Abstract
RESEARCH QUESTION
How can Architecture assist with the empowerment of women in rural India?
ABSTRACT
Women in rural India face gender inequality in most aspects of their lives due to a lack of education, basic resources, and cultural values that govern their lives. India’s population has been growing at an unsustainable rate, straining natural re sources. With the country’s population exceeding 1.4 billion in 2024, poverty rates may increase, and infrastructure may be strained, hindering sustainable development. A possible foundational step to this issue could be women’s empower ment through education and family planning in rural regions. Literacy rates for women in rural India are relatively low compared to those of urban areas. This stems from multiple factors, including poverty, lack of essential resources, and tra ditional Ideologies that exert control over women’s lives.
The architectural response is established through a hybrid methodology approach, a phased research methodology that identifies three stages of research to address the multifaceted issues investigated. The three-scale methodology is employed to form a basis for a design outcome.
This methodology explores the human body’s interaction with the built environment to formulate an empowering and female-oriented space. The first scale is identified as the Chaupal, a gathering space found in most village centers around Gujarat. The second (medium) scale examines the Āangan, a courtyard serving as a transitional space between private and public thresholds. The last scale (large) is the empowerment center itself. The final scale will allow an un derstanding of the challenges arising in fostering a collective community focused on empowerment.
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