Wei Wei
Social media user
Women-only carriages discriminate against females in the name of protecting them. Undeniably, such an exclusive space will make women feel safer, but it brings about bigger problems, which are deteriorating traffic congestion during rush hours and putting females in a more jeopardized position.
Stopping sexual harassment by segregating females from males is similar to keeping dogs from hurting people by caging them. The logic here is questionable. Moreover, with such carriages in place, if women were groped when riding other carriages, would the public blame them for inviting the harassment because they were supposed to use womenonly carriages? The answer is mostly yes.
Many justify womenonly carriages with Japan’s case, where the practice has been adopted for over 100 years. However, the fact is that the first women carriages were set up in 1912 because men discriminated against women and would not share rides with them. Exclusive space was only created to prevent women from sexual harassment in 2000. The move has been clouded in controversy since the beginning. Groping cases increased by at least five-fold with the introduction of the carriages.
All in all, the intention is good, but it is not a fundamental solution and will intensify the stereotype of women as a vulnerable group, making them more afraid of defending themselves when becoming victims. The move is unfair to males as it regards every man as a potential offender of sexual harassment and exacerbates crowding in subways. Anyone who has squeezed themselves into subway carriages know what a tough job it is. There is no doubt that women, who are physically weaker than men, can not compete with them in this regard. The stronger people win under such circumstances. Even if they managed to get on board, they may encounter inconveniences and potential harassments in such packed spaces, where groping or sexual harassment is more likely to happen.
Offering preferential treatment to vulnerable people is one of the people-oriented approaches in city governance and should be promoted. Problems may arise from this initiative, but it is a gesture that society is willing to offer a helping hand to anyone in need.