In Iran a cab company has started that is by and for women only. It has provided employment for widowed women and given them ownership over their own means of transportation.
At the centre, the women drivers are also given lessons in basic car maintenance and such essentials as how to change a burst tire. All the operators at the centre are women too. But the concept was the brainchild of a man, Mohsen Uruji, who says he spotted a gap in Tehran's transport system."What was missing was a role for women," he says.
"By setting up this purely private sector company, we've been able to provide jobs for many women, as well as a service for other women who want to travel around in a more relaxed way."
Many of the drivers are war widows or divorcees who really need the work, and are referred to the agency by some of the big welfare foundations.
The project has grown in popularity and is hoping to have 2000 women run cars soon. I think this is interesting and very cool all at once. As the article says, it does both reinforce traditional gender roles feeding into the very idea that women and men can't occupy space together alone, but at the same time solves and relieves many problems women are dealing with on a daily basis.
0 TrackBacks
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: Taxis by women, for women. .
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.feministing.com/cgi-bin/movabletype/mt-tb.fcgi/10626
Well done, Samhita! This makes excellent use of a news story to show how the economic advancement of women in non-Western societies can happen. Such economic changes have been shown to drive social changes as a consequence. Once a traditional, male-dominated society gets used to women cab drivers, it's s much shorter step to women professors and prime ministers.
i found the last portion of your comment very interesting, as you seem to imply that such traditional (read: third world), male dominated are further away from women professors and prime ministers. i think you'll be very surprised by the actual involvement of women in academia and politics in many, not all, of such male dominated societies. do you know how many male dominated societies have had women leaders of state? india, pakistan, bangladesh, sri lanka, phillipines, etc. even saudi arabia had elected two female chamber of commerce officials, and women aren't even allowed to drive there (though they are allowed to be pilots).
i do understand what you were trying to say, but it's important to remember that because of different histories and cultures, not all societies are on the same paradigm of women's rights. women's oppression is as complex in iran as in america.
i found the last portion of your comment very interesting, as you seem to imply that such traditional (read: third world), male dominated countries are further away from women professors and prime ministers than others. i think you'll be very surprised by the actual involvement of women in academia and politics in many, not all, of such male dominated societies. do you know how many male dominated societies have had women leaders of state? india, pakistan, bangladesh, sri lanka, phillipines, etc. even saudi arabia had elected two female chamber of commerce officials, and women aren't even allowed to drive there (though they are allowed to be pilots).
i do understand what you were trying to say, but it's important to remember that because of different histories and cultures, not all societies are on the same paradigm of women's rights. women's oppression is as complex in iran as it is in america.
Good point about differences. However, I would argue that economic advancement usually trumps all.
Absolutely correct.
As we have seen in our own country over the past 30 years or so since the dramatic change in the Right Wing during the Reagan years; academic equality, when it exists, is often completely marginalized or ignored by a huge segment of our culture.
It is one thing to have women teaching at any level because even here in the U.S. most folks will not encounter any university professor, female or otherwise; but to have it in your mind that there are women out there who are not part of some divisive and fabricated construct called "the elite" doing the same job you do ei: working with your hands or "blue collar" work does a lot to foster respect.
Anyhow this is really exciting news, I just hope that no jerks go and ruin it.
Men do not dominate women. Dominance hierarchies are male only (Moxon, 2008). Men are genetically predisposed to defer to women in chivalrous placation (Moxon, 2008).
"Once a traditional, male-dominated society gets used to women cab drivers, it's s much shorter step to women professors and prime ministers."
wow,
you just summarized what really pisses me off when americans talk about women's rights in iran. I have to say this very loudly:
WOMEN ARE ALREADY UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS IN IRAN.
I also want to add that 9 years ago when I left Iran there WERE women taxi drivers (although not that many) and they drove both men and women.
Samhita,
they were also talking about having "women only islands" and women only parks, this is what Iranian feminists are fighting against. we don't need the government to protect us by separating us. Women fought to be in the public sphere along with men 100 years ago, and now separating us is a good thing?!
I suggest adding some articles from Iranian feminist sites on this blog.
There's a similar system in operation here in Ireland, in Belfast and Dublin. I think it's called Angel Cabs, and in this case it grew out of the unfortunate scenario were there were many reports of lone women in taxis being sexually assaulted by the male drivers. It's a small service but it does provide a more relaxed environment for women who might otherwise be worried.
I've definitely heard reports of women being assaulted by male taxi drivers, but I wonder if there's any female taxi drivers assaulted by male customers. Rarer, certainly, but I'm sure it's happened. If that's true, then this new Iranian service would help protect female drivers as well as female customers.
There is cheap wow gold of sale; our WOW Gold price are really cheap now, you can buy really cheap wow gold here htttp://www.iwpls.com. We have mass available stock of wow easy gold on most of the servers, so that we can do a really instant way of fast world of warcraft gold delivery. We know what our buyers need so we offer an instant way of fast wow gold, wow ">http://www.wowpls.com/"> l2 power leveling delivery.
This service plays on the taxi driver as rapist myth - pandering to women's well documented disproportionate fear of rape, and encourages further sex segregation, which perpetuates actual rape (see science).
It sends the message to women that they are in danger of rape if not transported by a woman, when the reality is, 85% to 90% of rape is aquaintance rape, and there is lots of evidence that the rape claims made against taxi drivers are disproportionately false.
Despite these realities, Transport for London has been playing on the fear of rape with its information campaigns, showing some brown skinned men standing next to their cars outside a bar at night, asking "Which one is the rapist?" then giving some baloney rape statistics, claiming women are in grave danger of rape if they get into an unlicensed cab. (With this racist campaign, the government appears to be bowing to the strength of the black taxi union, in dissuading its competition).
I cycle a rickshaw, and stop to ask people if they are waiting for a black cab, and offer to take them to a LICENSED mini cab taxi rank, but the women often refuse, because they've been taught to think brown skinned minicab drivers are rapists.
I confront their bigotry, by making clear there have been reports and convictions for rape of all types of taxi driver (including rickshaw driver), but these women believe the government baloney, and wait for a black cab (thus, theoretically, increasing their risk of stranger rape by standing around at night).
As if brown-skinned taxi driving men don't have it hard enough (taxi driving is a very dangerous job), now, the governments, BBC, and you lot, think it's a good idea to sex segregate further.
Yuck.
The above article also plays on the myth that women are better drivers, but when doing equal miles as men, women have more accidents.
I guess the underlying bigotry and misandry and sex segregation is seen as a price worth paying, as always. Yawn.
Tom, believe me when I say I fully agree with you that painting men of color as rapists is racist and unacceptable. The "Which one is the rapist?" ad you describe sounds completely bigoted and deplorable.
But please don't come in here talking about "women's well documented disproportionate fear of rape" as if women were just hysterical, fragile, irrational beings whose desire to protect ourselves from rape is ridiculous and unjustified.
The rates of assault/harassment are higher in Iran than they are in the UK. I don't know what they are specifically in regards to taxi-related assaults/harassment, but I'm sure they're proportionately higher. Considering that the three months I spent in England were the most catcalled months of my life, the women in Iran probably have very good reason to want to be free of that kind of harassment when they ride in taxis, even if they're not being full-on raped.
Actually, it deals with the very valid fear that some women have of traveling by themselves, perhaps at night- in an area where women are often still attacked by individual fundamentalists for acts of "lewdness". But women everywhere are taught throughout growing up to be afraid of walking the streets alone. The fear of being raped is ingrained in us- be it logical or not. But what's the harm in one woman being able to offer another a safe ride home? How can you possibly have a problem with that?!
And how can you say that their "implication" that women are better drivers is sexist and then turn around and say "because in truth, women suck at driving." That's always been a stereotype against women, but it's ok so long as you're not offended, I guess.
I actually visited Iran this summer with my family, and we heard a lot of reports regarding women being abducted and sexually assaulted by taxi drivers. As much as this reinforces gendered segregation, I'm glad that it addresses the lack of having safe and secure transportation.
For the moment, it may reinforce gendered segregation, but it's a chance for women a) to earn their own money and be as financially independend as possible and b) gives back other women their freedom to move around. in the long run it will help to overcome gendered segregation, i think.
For anyone who really like this idea, and live in NYC, may I suggest volunteering for Right Rides: http://rightrides.org
They're a free, volunteer run service that offers free rides home for women & transfolk on Saturday nights. They always have too many people looking for rides and not enough drivers.
Ever since I first heard about Right Rides, I've been craving an instantiation in my city. Personally I'm not so much afraid of rape as I am of retribution. I've often been in cabs where the driver ignored me and/or risked my life. These are situations in which not paying is fair, but it's impossible not to pay when the only person around is the brute demanding payment. I wouldn't be put in the situation of having to pay for being treated badly if I had a female driver that I could take, should push come to shove. Not to mention that the threat of physical dispute resolution would be infinitely lower in the first place.
The above article also plays on the myth that women are better drivers, but when doing equal miles as men, women have more accidents.
Yes, because on average, women are more inexperienced. Over a lifetime, men drive 75% more than women, but mile by mile, men clock in at a lifetime 5.1 accidents per million miles, whereas women have a slightly higher 5.7 rate. The difference between 5.1 and 5.7 is about 12%. So men drive 75% more than women to get 12% better.
Oh, and men are in three times more fatal accidents. And young men are in *vastly* more accidents... women start out as better drivers than men, but over a lifetime, the greater driving experience of men eventually makes them slightly better drivers than women. If a woman drives as much as a man, it stands to reason that statistically, she will remain a better driver (unless there are actually factors related to youth that depress a young man's driving ability more than a young woman's, in which case, the man and woman should still end up equal if they drive the same amount.)
So Iranian taxi drivers are likely to be safer if they are women; they have great experience behind the wheel (being, y'know, taxi drivers) and are less likely to be in a fatal accident.
I'm all for this. Frankly, I wish that EEOC laws would allow America to have women-only taxi driver fleets. It's not that I feel like a male taxi driver is *going* to be a rapist... of course most male taxi drivers are professional and courteous, or as courteous as taxi drivers get, anyway. But, while most men are not rapists, almost all rapists are men (and the few female rapists there are usually have special circumstances -- they prey on children, they prey on teen boys, they rape in gangs, they rape in prisons, they rape men with drugs... to the best of my knowledge no woman has ever been raped by a single strange female.) A female taxi driver drops your risk of rape from maybe 1% or 2% to 0%. I'd ride with a female-driver-only taxi company more often if one existed.
(I also suspect that Canada, which has very restrictive car seat laws that require seats to essentially be bolted in with hardware, could use a fleet of female taxi drivers driving family-friendly taxis with a car seat or two bolted in, for the sake of mothers with children... again, not because all men are dangerous to women or children, but because if you *are* a rapist who likes to prey on helpless women, driving a taxi for women who are burdened with baby children would be a great way to get access to particularly helpless and threatenable women. A woman who would fight back violently when it's her own life at stake is more likely to submit if her children's lives are threatened. I know that's true for me.)
I think this is a great idea! It allows women the chance to be independent and make their own money in order to support themselves and their families. Plus, dude, I live in Chicago and we have a problem with taxi drivers sexually assaulting women, and the states are supposed to be the more progressive ones when it comes to women's rights. I know women who have relied on taxis to get them safely home after a night of drinking and then low and behold the driver sees an intoxicated woman and takes advantage. Its disgusting.
I think that this is a great idea. It is too bad that it reinforces the "men and women can't be together" idea, but I think that anti-female ideas like that are much more likely to be turned over as women gain the power of money and mobility. I wish that there were an all female cab company here in Chicago. I don't have a car, so I usually take cabs rather than public transportation at night, but always wonder how safe it is to be putting myself, alone, into a lock-able car being driven by a man who I don't know. I've never had a problem with a cab driver before, but it only takes one incident to cause a lot of harm. I'd feel much safer with a woman. I have never even seen a female cab driver, maybe because it isn't a safe job for women?
Perhaps the safest thing to do, is never leave the house. Let men do everything outside the house. Oh, wait a minute, we tried that (as did the fascists and the Nazis), then feminism had a better idea, but didn't see it through, so women's movement is still drastically self-restricted, by the disproportionate 'umbrella' fear of rape, sparking fear of all other crime too, when the stats show men are more likely to be attacked on the street, in a car, you name it, and suffer more of all other crimes, but female feminists won't admit this, so the plebs on the street believe it to be so, and the politicians and media perpetuate the myth as if their livelihoods depended on it. Yep, that's right, men are more likely to be raped than women too (Moxon, 2008), but victim-feminists think they need special pleading to mobilize, and a boogie man to rise up against, and oh, just this once, to overlook the negative messages sent about men by this purportedly necessary sex segregation (in Iran of all places!) and oops, nobody can understand why some men, increasingly isolated by the misandric effect, must then force their artificially devalued selfs into the sperm race with acts of rape, rather than the free association and sex that would take place in a rational society, that does not perpetuate rape hysteria.
Is it any wonder feminism is losing favour with women? We live in an information society. More women and men have the facts about the rarity of rape (for instance), and yet feminists plough on regardless with their increasingly inplausable narratives (denying the 60 to 90% false allegation epidemic (Moxon, 2008) for instance, amounting to a short-termist socially conservative force for fear mongering and regression- and gosh! Women are regressing, back into the home. The pay gap is widening. The percentage of female parliamentarians is receding (where not artificially inflated), and feminism is dying, and pro-feminist men are not going to be able to turn it around for you, as your narratives paint all men's activists, apart from the apologists, as trolls, etc.
Speak to a Muslim woman about western feminist narratives, like patriarchy as male power, and she will laugh in your face, because she is not so stupid.
Speak to a Muslim man about the dream of equality of choices for women and men, considering HIS bind, and he will listen, because he has never heard it before.
If you obsess about rape, then rape will become your reality, as you sex segregate further, and rape, is about sex, not power/control, as you all like to pretend.
Women sex segregate, preferring female company four times more than male company. Men show no preference. Traditionally feminine (antifeminist) women express even more hatred of/seperation from men.
Not one comment here has embraced the problem at the heart of your supposedly feminist consensus on this issue. You're all in virtual agreement, which rings an alarm bell or two.
Wakey, wakey!
oh wow. i wasn't expecting this post to bring out a troll.
To feminism, I am not the imposter - I was born into it, and expect nothing less.
YUp, it brought such immense reactions. but I like to say that discussion is always great, you have to state your opinions.
Mike from wood splitter guide
Samhita, i really recommend that if you want to include stuff about Iranian women (a country where there is so much misconception about and especially about women) please include a little more. Please include more about what Iranian feminists are working on (they are more active than american feminists) and what their struggles are, what the country is like and try to represent the diversity of Iranian women's experiences.
some people commented about how great it is to facilitate women's mobility. This is ridiculous! women are mobile already! (I agree that it could provide job opportunities from women and that is definitely positive.)
The taxis on this video are not regular taxi service in iran. they are "phone cabs." Women get in regular taxis every day and on the bus, and on the metro! In a regular cab in Iran, 4 people sit instead of one person, so women are often not alone while riding. Finally, in order to make things safer for women, we have to educate men, not separate them from women.
Taxis by women are good but for women is not so good.