'Easy' Parking Spots For Women: Sexist or Helpful? [POLL]

Picture this: pulling into a parking spot in the Black Forest town of Triberg, Germany, that has a pink female symbol painted on the concrete. The Daily Telegraph reported that the Triberg mayor has assigned easier parking spots for women, while men have been allotted to park in harder areas. Is this helpful or sexist?

The mayor of the town, Gallus Strobel, has divvied up the parking spaces depending on their size and location. If it's a spot that is wider and has lots of light, as the Telegraph reports, then it is allocated to women, but if the spots are hemmed in by concrete pillars and must be backed into, which requires more skill, than a blue male symbol has been slathered onto the concrete. Women, however, are welcome to park in the male spots and prove the mayor wrong, he said.

In essence, women can park wherever they want and men can only park in the difficult parking spots, but the mayor called it a natural decision, according to Time magazine.

In the new car park, we found that two places were not rectangular, at an angle to the road and placed between walls and pillars, Strobel told newsmagazine Der Spiegel. That makes parking difficult, so we decided to allocate them to men.

Or they could have been assigned to motorcycles or subcompact cars.

Since women are allowed to park in the trickier men spots, the mayor maintains that the decision is not sexist and he dismisses what he refers to as humorless reactions from the politically correct. Especially since there are 10 spots for women, and 10 spots for men, the Daily Telegraph reported.

Separate but equal, right?

In order to fend off sexism charges, Strobel has brushed off the situation as a marketing ploy to bring business to the small town, which is best known for its waterfalls and natural beauty, rather than male chauvinism, the Telegraph said.

I never expected this reaction, said Strobel, who seems to be genuinely shocked by the international criticism his decision has stirred. I've been on the phone all day, the TV will come. I am happy, and it looks like we've hit a raw nerve in society. It's been a great marketing gimmick. Women can come here and prove me wrong, and while they're at it, they can see the town's attractions.

Though it's blatantly sexist against women, what about men? It's helpful for those female drivers who find it difficult to park in tight parking spots, but not all male drivers are ready to participate in Nascar at the drop of a hat. What's more, women can park wherever they'd like, but the men have no choice. What do you think?