Women Only

The other day I was riding to work in the women's-only car, and a man got in. He was running in at the last second, relieved to make it onto the train before the doors closed. It took him about half a second to realise: 'oh...' and his shoulders sagged.

He turned to face the door. There was a notice on the door explaining that this was a women's-only car during peak hours. The man made a point of reading this sign, following the words with his finger. The car was such a packed mass of women that he had no chance to make his way through to the next car without attracting more attention.

I felt bad for the poor guy. Next stop and he was out and across the platform like a hare.

A lot of trains have certain cars designated 'women's-only' during peak hours. They say this is to deal with unwanted pervy attention from gropers. I don't know that intentional groping is really the big issue; I think it's more just a matter of making both sexes feel more comfortable. Men don't have to deal with the awkward 'aaagh, where do I put my hands' and accusing looks, women don't have to travel to work pressed against the body of some random businessman. These trains do get very crowded.