Two legislators proposed the women-only subway cars during rush hour, so that “women will be better respected and protected”. Further details on implementation haven’t been released yet, but introducing women-only cars would be a “trend,” for the development of public transportation, said Zhou Zhengyu, director of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport. With more than three billion commuters riding the subway each year in Beijing, it’s not uncommon during rush hour for people to be pressed up against one another in an uncomfortable manner or to endure pushing and shoving. Last year, a survey from the China-based Canton Public Opinion Research Center showed 31% of 1,500 Chinese women surveyed reported a rise in sexual harassment, with many of them saying harassment occurred mainly on public transportation. Wall Street Journal |