It’s easy to argue that the ladies compartment in Delhi, and other cities like Tokyo and Beijing, is a choice—that women are free to use any part of the train they want. It’s common to hear that the country—despite a history of powerful women politicians and thought leaders—isn’t quite ready, and no woman should have to be a martyr for this cause until it catches up. And yes, I completely empathize with a friend in Delhi who told me that after an already intense day working in the bustling capital, a chance to avoid leering on the way home is a no-brainer. But encouraging women to remain on the periphery of public spaces, even if this motivation is self-induced, will only perpetuate what we see in cities like Delhi today: streets, trains and workplaces full of men. For me, that’s reason enough for women to enter any compartment of the metro and at any time—physically claiming a space that already belongs to us.
Posted on: Mon, 24 Nov 2014 17:45:00 +0000
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