The recent proposal of “Women-only” sections on subways in Beijing could serve as one effective way to prevent sexual harassment frequently carried out by men on public transportation in a direct and timely way. Wang Zhuo, a politician from Beijing who has developed this plan, notes that the addition of these ‘women-only’ transport carriages would also help address overcrowding, a growing and significant problem in Beijing.
It strikes me that, creating a whole new section of the subway for women, is a reactionary strategy to curb sexual harassment. Adopting a preventative strategy such as educating men in an effort to prevent sexual harassment and objectification of women seems more beneficial to women and more effective in the long run. On the other hand, while education must be seen as an essential step to curb harassment in the long run, women-only buses fulfill an immediate need and protect women from the abuses that can take place, while also allowing children to be sheltered from witnessing the harassment of their mothers. The introduction of women-only buses could help the Chinese government demonstrate that they see sexual harassment as an issue that must be addressed and that they will take a more serious stand against the daily abuses women suffer.
The introduction of these carriages may be seen as a first step to show that initiatives to help prevent sexual harassment are needed, appreciated by women and can work effectively. While these carriages will not prevent all sexual harassment, they might help provide women with a feeling of increased safety in one avenue of their public experience. The carriage proposal is not a means within itself to eliminate sexual harassment, but is evidence of the increased effort to recognize and begin addressing issues of importance to women. If implemented correctly, the program could serve as a pioneer program that could encourage other regions to make efforts to prevent harassment.
I have mixed feelings about this proposal. What are your thoughts?
My initial reaction was, how successful were the the similar plans in Tokyo? I think there it's a defeatist proposition that since men can't be expected to shape up, we'll protect the lesser sex. I would argue that China is more progressive in this realm, and would hope that rather than painting all men as aggressors, better measures can be used for education and punishment for such behavior. I don't believe calling out any group is going to educate society as a whole; it merely demonizes one group while giving special treatment to another.
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