Is segregation the only answer to sexual harassment?

Question

Article sub-title: "There is a growing worldwide trend for women-only spaces on trains, beaches and in hotels. But do they make women any safer?"

Article quote: "A recent report that showed that two out of every three subway riders in New York has been sexually harassed (the survey was of a mixed group, with almost 70% of respondents being women). In Tokyo, the problem is just as bad - 64% of women in their 20s and 30s reported being groped on the train or in transit stations. In fact, the problem is so well recognised in Japan, that there's even a specific name for subway harassment: chikan. And the city's answer to such large-scale harassment? Establishing a woman-only train carriage aimed at protecting potential victims.

Japan isn't the only country where a separate space has been set aside for women's safety. There are women-only train carriages in Rio de Janeiro, Moscow and Cairo. Italy has just established a women-only beach.

Is segregation the only answer?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/women/story/0,,2140903,00.html

Answer 1

It's interesting that the places where these segregated areas have been popping up are very male-dominated, "macho" cultures; which suggests to me that the kind of imbalance between the sexes that exist in these cultures lends itself to the victimization of the group that is seen as subservient.
Segregation didn't work in the U.S. and S. Africa.
What needs to happen is for the behavior to STOP; for it to no longer be seen as acceptable. Segregation only reinforces the attitude that men have the "privilege" to behave in such way, and that instead of addressing the behavior, the only "solution" is to remove the women.

Answer 2

that some felt the need for this is a sad reflection on how some people in the community treat women. i would hope that we are not yet at a stage where such a thing is needed in order for women to be a little safer. i would be extremely suspicious of how far this segregation could go: starting as for their protection, but moving towards being controlled.

i do not believe that we are at this stage, and i sincerely hope we never get there in my country

Answer 3

The problem with segregation is that you never learn to understand “the other side”, and when you are around them, you react in amazement at how different they are from you, instead of seeing how much alike you can really be.

I got to know several men very well by becoming their friend. It takes being around men for each other to get to know each other.

These societies that choose to segregate should choose to not allow bad behavior to happen in the first place.

Answer 4

Yes, in situations such as subways, hotels, and beaches. (And where the segregated space is an option, not a requirement, for women.)

No, in situations such as work and school.

That said, self-segregation by women is a reactionary behavior to the unwanted and frequent sexual advances of men. The real solution might be to require the straight male perpetrators to be squeezed into a crowded subway train full of fat, hairy, butt ugly, horny gay guys who have no respect for them as straight men. Gropes away!! That experience might give the straight guy empathy towards women.

(And I want to say.... I don't think all gay men would attack the straight guy, just like not all straight guys attack women.)

Answer 5

I tend to believe that the real answer is education.

Children must be educated at a very young age that all people are equal and all people should be treated with the same respect that they always want to receive.

Children must learn that everybody on this planet, regardless of their gender, skin color or sexual orientation, have feelings and are entitled to be treated with respect. Instead of fearing somebody because of their skin color, we should embrace them as friends. Instead of fearing somebody because of their sexual orientation, we should still respect them because, even if we do not agree with their sexual orientation, they are most likely very good people and deserve to be respected.

On a larger scale, let's look at some of the terror organizations in this world. Many of them HATE all Americans (and most of the free world) and they want to kill all Americans. Their limited education brainwashes them to believe that ALL Americans are bad and therefore, are their enemies. The fact is that most American's, most Italian's, most German's, most Canadian's, most Israeli's and most of the people in all of the worlds population are inherently good, caring people who would help others in times of need. If these terrorist learned the truth, these terror organizations would die out.

Education is the key. Teach the children at a very young age how to treat everybody with respect. Treat them equality. Teach them how negative words or actions can hurt people. Correct their inappropriate behaviors at a very early age. Once you have the foundation in place, reinforce it throughout their youth.

I believe that this is the real cure and not the "band-aid" that I see segregation as being.

Answer 6

Maybe we should all just wear burqas so as not to tempt the men with our "feminine wiles". To me, that's where segregation by sex leads. How about more police on the subways, and harsher penalties for perpetrators?

Answer 7

No! women can be harrassed anytime. Its just like saying that if women wore more clothes to cover their bodies they wouldn't get raped, that is so not true

Answer 8

Yes. Egypt is a Muslim country so it doesn't surprise me that trains in Cairo are segregated by sex. Women and men don't need to be intermingling with each other anyway.

Answer 9

In this forum which is supposed to be for gathering information from others, women are stalked, insulted, threatened and denigrated. My opinion is yes as long as men feel they can prey openly on women with no repercussions perhaps the genders should be kept apart.

Answer 10

I honestly, seriously, in real life hope not.