Growing up as a tomboy, I loathed the color pink. I associated it with baking and kittens and babies and lipstick – every stereotype as a woman that even then I subconsciously knew I couldn’t stomach.
Even though I now love the color pink (and I don’t wear make-up or feel affection toward cats), I still felt a little uncomfortable when I heard about the pink taxis in Puebla, Mexico. To reduce the amount of sexual harassment, the city has made available taxis for women and driven by women, including offering free beauty kits in the backseat. Besides giving women a safe haven from leering and jeering men, this new service has also opened up a traditionally male-dominated profession, increasing the amount of jobs. It’s a direct nod to the ladies special trains in India, and the all-female train cars in countries such as Japan and Brazil.
While I do think it’s an interesting idea as rapes and harassment still happen frequently, part of me can’t swallow not only the color but how it promotes segregation (Civil Rights era, anyone?). And as a band-aid solution, it simply isn’t sustainable. More than just reacting to the situation, a proactive approach needs to be taken as well. Help to alter existing attitudes by empowering men and boys, and a deeper seeded change might just happen. The Working Boys Center in Ecuador – whose programs seek to “strengthen union, mutual respect and solidarity of the family and the community” – is a great model to look to.
Still, while it hasn’t happened to me, I’ve had female friends who have been rubbed up on in subway cars and flashed at in metro stations. They’ve felt frustrated, violated and angry. So if being able to sit in peace on the way to work or school makes women’s lives easier, why not have ladies-only rides? And as a woman myself, I can’t deny it’s appeal.
What do you think? Is this a good idea that should continue to be replicated in other cities around the world?
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Growing up as a real boy, I also loathed the color pink. But I can certainly imagine most of my female friends spotting a cab like that outside a crowded bar and chucking gender stereotypes out the window, in favor of a reliably safe ride home.
However, beauty kits in the backseat is kind of pushing it.
I had an almost identical reaction to this growing trend. While I too believe in having safe spaces for women and girls, and fully support opening up jobs for women in traditionally male professions, I also was uncomfortable with the segregation, the reinforcing of female stereotypes, and the continued emphasis on women alone being responsible for their safety (as opposed to everyone being responsible for creating safer communities for all citizens, women and men). As a short-term solution, I applaud the initiative but what about the long-term?