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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

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Original poster

Corbyn says he will consult women on women only train carriages

62 replies

grimbletart · 26/08/2015 12:50

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-34059249

FFS Jeremy come on. Deal with the perpetrators not ghettoise the victims.

Jeremy really does seem locked into the 1970s - the last decade women-only carriages were still around in the UK.

OP posts:
isupposeitsverynice · 26/08/2015 12:52

There is another thread about this somewhere - I am no Corbynite but in fairness to him he said it was something that had been suggested to him and he was in favour of just making public transport safer but was willing to listen to what women thought about it.

Lottapianos · 26/08/2015 12:55

grimble, forget the headlines and read what he actually said. He said he's concerned about levels of harassment and sexual assault on public transport and wants to do something about it. He's planning to consult with women (yes, I know, a very novel idea) about what women might want done about this issue and take it from there.

I'm not in favour of women only carriages as any kind of solution to this issue but the issue of safety on public transport is definitely an important one to discuss

isupposeitsverynice · 26/08/2015 12:56

Here's the other thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2455870-Women-only-train-carriages-really

BreakingDad77 · 26/08/2015 13:01

I feel kinda split on this as on the one hand men should just behave on the other we have what women have to tolerate.

But then would this say male behavior is fine you just cant behave like that in this space.

Or do we just need trains with more cctv/guards?

museumum · 26/08/2015 13:03

I'm against women only carriages. BUT I'm very much for any politician actually asking me and other women what we think about it. How can consulting with the affected group about a suggested solution ever be a bad thing? Hmm

Original poster
grimbletart · 26/08/2015 13:18

lotta: I did read what he said and from other sources. He has actually suggested that he might be willing to pilot it if the women he consulted thought it was a good idea.

Having been brought up, worked and travelled in the days of women only carriages i.e. the 50s,60s and 70s I am horrified that any woman (and Jeremy Corbyn should he be influenced by them) should want to go back to these dark ages when women always had to be the ones to accommodate male bad behaviour.

Please don't go there Jeremy. Just stay concerned about safety and how we can stop bad male behaviour, not how we can shut women away as a way of coping.

OP posts:
Charis1 · 26/08/2015 13:20

As the mother of a teenage boy, I HATE the idea. he would be so much less safe on trains.

ALassUnparalleled · 26/08/2015 13:35

I'm glad he has come out with this ridiculous idea. Possibly it will make people think before voting for him.

He would be a disaster as leader. Am I the only person who remembers the Foote era? And Foote at least had had ministerial experience and a profile. Corbyn has been a nonentity for 30 years, "rose without trace" is tailor made for him.

Kryten2X4B523P · 26/08/2015 13:37

Politician says that he might do something if people want him to. It's not really news, but just another way for the media to pile on Corbyn.

What has he actually said, and what question was he answering? Was it "how should we deal with harassment on trains?" or "do you think we should have women only train carriages?"

scallopsrgreat · 26/08/2015 14:22

Well women only carriages would at least be naming the problem. Not doing anything about it, mind.

Lweji · 26/08/2015 14:26

Maybe more carriages and more policing?
Or is it just cheaper to stick some notices?
Would drunk thugs pay any notice?
What about the even less women who ventured into mixed carriages?
Silly and dangerous idea.

abbieanders · 26/08/2015 17:18

Well, at least someone has the courage to recognise that there is a problem. I'm a bit shocked by the reaction on aibu, the vehemence with which people are reacting against it is an indication of how little appetite there is for dealing with male violence. This may not be an ideal or desirable way in itself, but at least it forces people to think about what the problem really is.

ALassUnparalleled · 26/08/2015 17:38

the vehemence with which people are reacting against it is an indication of how little appetite there is for dealing with male violence.

That does not follow. See Lweji's post above.

India is one of the few countries which has separate carriages for women-do we want to emulate their gender policies? The others are Indonesia, Japan and Mexico.

abbieanders · 26/08/2015 17:49

Well, so far no strategies undertaken have been able to deal with the problem. More of the same won't either. So what's the option? Not creating a safe space for women has the effect of continuing to leave ale violence in public unchecked. Feeble education programmes don't work. There is no agreement that strong law enforcement is appropriate. Other passengers consistently decline to intervene. So yeah, I think that dismissing this proposal out of hand saying we should continue to use the same failed strategies is the same as saying that nobody really cares about male violence against women - at least not enough to change anything.

BlahBlahUsername · 26/08/2015 18:10

I'm glad he has come out with this ridiculous idea. Possibly it will make people think before voting for him.

Confused At least he is actually open to thinking about women's issues and safety. Quite a refreshing change from the current 'calm down dear' attitudes at the top. I was wavering between him and Cooper but I've made my mind up now.

Quiero · 26/08/2015 18:19

I think it's great that he wants to open up discussion about it. No doubt he will consult women's organisations and maybe even us and he will then be told why this isn't the answer. He will also be given loads of other suggestions about what might work etc. How is this a bad thing?

You really can't win can you? Damned if you do and damned if you don't.

SillyStuffBiting · 26/08/2015 18:22

People are talking, it's a start!

marmaladeatkinz · 26/08/2015 19:25

I think it's an excellent idea. I've had too many penises rubbed against me on public transport

WhirlpoolGalaxyM51 · 26/08/2015 20:32

On my tube line they had a guard operating the doors until some time in the 90s and they were always in the last carriage iirc so you knew where they were. I always got in that one when travelling alone late at night and lots of other women by themselves did too and of course men if they felt safer there.

Lots of people feel vulnerable for a variety of reasons and having an attended carriage is a place to go - or even the one next to it so you are close to someone "in authority" gives a sense of safety and of course they could easily communicate with the driver etc.

That would be a good solution but of course it's very expensive.

I think women only carriages would cause as many problems as they would solve probably, but I do think that a politician saying they are worried about street harassment towards women and girls and so going to ask them what they think should be done about it is brilliant. It hasn't put me off him but I'm not a Labour member and it's too late to join to vote so unless I get an opportunity at a general election then my thoughts don't make much odds Grin

uglyswan · 26/08/2015 22:06

He has also proposed working with police, local and transport authorities, universities and women's organisations to develop strategies for stopping street harassment, creating a ministerial role for women's safety, public awareness campaigns, and a 24/7 police hotline staffed by women (source). But yes, let's all get outraged by the fact that he is planning to consult women on their views on women-only carriages.

SolidGoldBrass · 26/08/2015 22:09

Thing is, he couldn't win with this one. If he'd said no, piss off, stupid idea, then the media would have been all 'JC doesn't CARE about women's safety', but if he said OK let's try it then it will be 'JC wants to put women in purdah and not allow them to mix with men ever!' I think he gave the best answer he could - that he will consult with women and women's groups about what they think will improve women's safety.

ALassUnparalleled · 26/08/2015 23:06

I am a Labour party member and have voted in the leadership election, but not for him. I truly hope he does not win.

Under his leadership Labour will be even less capable of winning a general election than it was under Foot and Kinnock.

PlaysWellWithOthers · 26/08/2015 23:08

I'm not seeing how asking women's groups their opinions on things is a bad idea.... the women's only carriages wasn't his idea, it was suggested by women to him.

At least he's willing to listen, makes a nice change.

I sincerely hope he wins. And wins convincingly.

marmaladeatkinz · 27/08/2015 07:02

I hope he wins too plays. Hes the only Labour candidate. The others are just conservatives in Labour clothing

scallopsrgreat · 27/08/2015 07:37

"But then would this say male behavior is fine you just cant behave like that in this space." But the message is already that this male behaviour is fine! Men get away with it all the time.

The other thing is that women-only carriages is being presented as an alternative to tackling the problem of male violence. It isn't an either/or situation. Both could be done at the same time. Keep women safer whilst sorting out male violence.

However, of course if a woman wasn't in one of those carriages and was attacked then it would be her fault...