When talking about private and public spaces we may consider the geographical perspective therefore home is supposed to be the most private place which can be a house or a flat. On the contrary a public space refers to a social place which is open and accessible to people : a workplace, a park, a country, etc… In fact the limit between private and public spaces is less and less clear as it is influenced by cultural or social factors for example.
The increase in the use of new technologies has helped to diminish the boundaries between these two spaces which may not always be seen as good news. In the 21st century working hours have become more flexible due to teleworking or working from home. The Covid pandemic has accelerated this tendency to work any time from anywhere around the world.
Smartphones or other devices allow us to answer or send mails, to attend meetings online, to search for information. Yet these new technologies have suppressed the boundaries of the workplace and in the meantime extended the working time so that our private space has been reached as well.
In parallel the same technologies have made possible to communicate with anyone worldwide, to make new friends, most of the time virtual ones. This is called social media which developped in various ways thanks to blogs, vlogs, posts, tutorials of any sorts. They allow the private space to become public.
As far as women are concerned, they are still paid less in the western world and the largest businesses remain dominated by men. Even though equality between men and women is supposed to be real, there is still a lot to be done ! Yet, in order to make things evolve, more and more women denounce gender-based violence and speak out for their rights as women, what’s more boys and girls receive the same education in developed countries.
More and more men are willing to take care of their children, they are encouraged to do so with the paternity leave that is expanding. Furthermore men also share the household chores so that we can say that the gap between men and women is reducing either in the public or the private space.
As for religion, it remains a debated topic depending on the country where you live. It may be held inside the private place like in France where secularism is imposed ; no conspicuous symbols of religion are allowed in public places. Whereas in the UK, for example, people are allowed to publicly express their religious beliefs.
