International Gender Segregation

On March 28, CEO of the New Israel Fund Daniel Sokatch sent out a mass e-mail informing people that “Israeli women will no longer be forced to the back of the bus”.  The e-mail referred to a recent Israeli Supreme Court decision that made it illegal for government-subsidized bus companies to require gender segregation.  When I first heard about this e-mail, it seemed too shocking to be true.  How can Israel, on of the few democracies in the Middle East, force women to enter through a separate door and then sit in the back of the bus?  This was surprising.

After doing some reading, I learned that government, segregated buses are not uncommon around the world.  Japan, Egypt, Taiwan, Brazil, India, Belarus, and Mexico all use this outdated and arguably sexist bus system.  Were it not for the Israel Religious Action Center- the advocacy group that initiated the Supreme Court case- Israel might still operate segregated buses.  I assume that if these kinds of advocacy groups exist in other democracies, they are not doing a good enough job of persuading the legal system that we live in a equal society where women have the same rights as men.  

However, there are more practical reasons to women-only buses.  The Intitute of Mexico City Women first put women-only buses into circulation in 2008 to protect women.  Unlike the Middle East, where the separation of men and women in public spaces has religious and cultural roots, the Mexico City decision was implemented to prevent sexual harassment and defend women’s rights.  One could argue that this form of discrimination has a positive effect.