Final answer:
Historically, women faced vulnerabilities in public spaces, including exclusion and discomfort in facilities not designed for them. The gendered division of space reinforced traditional roles, and feminist movements later addressed such inequities, striving for more inclusive social attitudes and designs.
Step-by-step explanation:
Women in historical public spaces were often vulnerable to societal expectations, exclusion, and discomfort in facilities not designed with their needs in mind. Before the feminist movements addressed these issues, many women were relegated to specific gendered spaces, such as beauty parlors or grocery stores, while being excluded from others like barbershops or fraternal lodges. This gendered division began in childhood, with toy stores typically reinforcing traditional gender roles. Additionally, historic accounts suggest that women faced challenges in public facilities such as bathrooms, which were not always designed to accommodate them or their attire, leading to possible discomfort or social vulnerabilities.
Specifically, in Victorian times, homes and public spaces were designed without considering the comfort or social needs of women, effectively cutting them off from the outside world. Even the feminist movement in Britain during the 1880s saw the need to battle not only for voting rights but also for issues such as the Contagious Diseases Acts that adversely affected women. It was not until the advent of the women's rights movement that many of these issues began to be addressed, with changes in social attitudes and designs of spaces to become more inclusive and comfortable for women.