Gender-only is not the same as gender equality
Hayley Richardson | Wed, Feb 13th, 2008 | Category: Commentary | Tags: hayley richardson, new york city, japan, gender, mexico city, buses, equality, mexico, seoul, public transit
Monday, the Times reported that a new “women only” bus line has recently begun running in Mexico City. With enormous pink signs proclaiming “exclusivo damas!” they cater to the thousands of women who’ve been victims of sexual harassment on D.F’s overcrowded public transportation system. The buses run less frequently, but they offer a respite from the probing hands and eyes of fellow male travelers.
As this video demonstrates, most women applaud the arrival of the buses, and see this as a clear indication they’ve been heard. The mood onboard is jubilant as women offer each other their seats, and cheer as the buses leave men at the curb. However, I have to wonder whether this is a somewhat hllow victory. Is government-sanctioned segregated spaces the best way to combat an endemic problem?
Subway groping is hardly unique to Mexico City. In Japan, the egregious conditions have long made headlines as well as in places like Seoul and New York City. In 2003, the Japanese subway system introduced a similar “women only” car system, which has been lauded as a success. However, this is due in part to the immense social stigma given to offenders in a highly family oriented society. Japan has also taken steps to combat harassment on a structural level, establishing a ministry of state for gender equality, and empowering women with the tools to prosecute offenders.
The Times claims that in March, it will become easier for women in Mexico City to go after men who perform such acts, and there will be new public service campaigns educate men about the damages inflicted by these wanton advances. But will this encourage men to rally against predatory behavior, or empower women to join together and speak up? Whether or not the city is committed to a massive cultural shake up remains to be seen.
My general sense is that spatial segregation shouldn’t be more than a temporary alleviation of a problem, and should be accompanied by widespread public education campaigns. Suppose that in the Southern United States. lawmakers had merely responded to black complaints of white harassment by creating race-specific buses. Oh wait…
Nissa Lee
Wed, Feb 13, 2008 at 12:56pm
If this “woman only” bus line is any more than a temporary solution, the women of Mexico City should be concerned about being provided the same transportation services as they had with the non-segregated buses: the same bus routes, the same frequency of routes run, and a proportionate amount of money invested in the program. Does this seem likely?
And if this is only a temporary solution to the sexual harrassment that occurs on Mexico City buses, and it exists only so long as educational campaigns need to work their magic on the minds of Mexican men, who is to say when the segregation will stop? More than likely, officials will draw the line when the costs of sustaining the seperate buses becomes too much… regardless of whether or not the ingrained social concepts of gender hierarchy (and the subsequent offensive behavior) have been exorcised.
Of course, this sort of segregation is accepted differently from culture to culture… but I agree with you about the public education campaigns: the solution isn’t to remove the women “provoking” the problem; personal responsibilty for one’s actions should be taken into account. There’s no reason that these men shouldn’t be able to act like civilized, respectful adults.