Gender Structure and Spatial Organization

As a contribution to the widespread debate on the “gender reading”of the “built environment,” this article aims to situate the subject in a new context,the Iranian society. To depict the subject, two distinct traditional architectures ofthe region, associated with their respective socio-spatial organizations, have beencomparatively explored: the “Introvert” and “Extrovert.” These two almost ageless“Introvert” and “Extrovert” architectures, evolved through centuries in differentgeographical parts of the country, are spatial patterns aptly illustrating how the“gender structure” of each social organization has contributed to the formation of therelevant “physical space” and, further, how the specific “gender relationships” arepertinently structured within each one of the two types of the spaces. Based on asystematic approach and through concentration on the macro-socio-spatial organization,this article is to explore the gender/space associated variations within either of thesocial systems they belong to. This perspective is particularly instrumental inpinpointing the Introvert and Extrovert architectures in the context of their socialorganizations and carefully scrutinizing “gender” and “space” categories assystematically integrated variables