Our pockets and smartphones: another example of a society designed for men before women

A survey carried out by Numerama shows how women's clothes and their too small pockets are a problem, at a time when smartphones are increasingly bulky.

An iPhone XR in a jeans pocket. Credit: Louise Audry for Numerama

Since the arrival of the iPhone in 2007, the smartphone has quickly become a must. For many, it's an essential tool to take everywhere, and for that, nothing could be simpler than slipping it into your pocket. Well, that's when you're a man. A survey conducted by Numerama sheds light on the not-so-historic difference between men's clothing and women's clothing, and how the latter are not adapted to our smartphones.

Discrimination through clothing

It's hard to slip your smartphone into your front pocket when your pocket is 49% shorter on average than that of men's pants. This is basically what we can understand from the results of an American study described in the article. However, according to a poll conducted during the survey, it is the pockets (and the front pocket in particular) that are preferred for storing your smartphone, when possible.

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Contrary to popular belief, the pockets between men and women were originally identical when it came to accessories to be worn attached to the belt. It was when they were integrated into clothing, exclusively for men, that the difference was created. Once arrived in cut clothes for women, the pocket quickly became a simple element of style, to the point of seeing the arrival of fake trompe l'oeil pockets.

Equality between women and men is one of the battles of this beginning of the century, and it is sometimes illustrated by elements which may seem futile in the eyes of some. Behind this example, there is on the one hand aesthetics taking precedence over functionality, a problem that affects women more than men, but on the other hand there is the question of accessibility to technology, portability of a smartphone that has become a real daily work tool for many.

Realizing that the fashion world is unlikely to react anytime soon, an independent Kickstarter campaign has been organized to create a line of pants for women that are as thoughtful as those for men.

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