Women Find Peace on Commuter Trains in India - NY Times

[shadowkat]

Via work - read the following news clipping that should be of interest to anyone interested in women's rights and how women are perceived around the world.

Go here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/16/world/asia/16ladies.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Women%20in%20India&st=cse

Summary - while upper-class or upper-middle class women are treated well, working class women struggle. And have been known to endure groping and harrassment on commuter trains. In order to grant them some relief - the Indian government set up a Ladies Train Special - commuter trains that only have women on board. Here, finally they find some peace.

Comments

[petzipellepingo.livejournal.com]

This reminds me of a story (http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/20951920/detail.html) that I saw on last evening's news. A more simplistic example of course.

[honorh.livejournal.com]

They had to do something similar in Japan. The sexism here is quiet, but powerful. Men would grope and rub up against women in crowded subways and trains, and for the woman to put up a fuss was considered inappropriate. There was enough of an outcry, though, that the government eventually made the subways set aside one car during morning commute times for women only. It improved things, as did women's groups finally drilling it into heads that being a chikan, or subway groper, is not a good thing. Public opinion turned, at least on that issue.

Still a long way to go, though. Every cell phone sold in Japan must make a sound when it's used as a camera. Why? Because "upskirting," taking pictures up women's (and schoolgirls'--especially schoolgirls', thanks very much, Japanese fetishization) skirts, became so pervasive that the only way to stem the tide was to make it so men couldn't hide what they were doing.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the information on Japan. Most of what I know about the culture over there comes from Japanese film, magna, and anime - but it is hard to tell how well it represents that culture. (Sort of similar to how they view us, I'm certain.)

upskirting

Sigh. This is why I hated wearing skirts or dresses in elementary through high school. That and pants are so much more comfortable. Not sure they have a choice though in Japan. Nor did they here in private schools.

[honorh.livejournal.com]

School uniforms here (always worn to school from middle school on) are always skirts for the girls, trousers for the boys. No, they have no choice at all. And the fetishization is something else. It's a verifiable fact that used schoolgirl panties are sold at some porn shops here--the girls having been paid quite well for them, of course. Oh, Japan! So awesome in so many ways, so very creepy in others.