“Imagine an Indian city with street corners full of women: chatting, laughing, breast-feeding, exchanging corporate notes or planning protest meetings. Imagine footpaths spilling over with old and young women watching the world go by as they sip tea, discuss love, cricket and the latest blockbuster.” In the book, Why Loiter?, Shilpa Phadke, Sameera Khan, and Shilpa Ranade remind us that this imagined city is far remote to the known Indian reality. Most public spaces in India are traditionally occupied by men. Be it public streets, railway stations, markets, shops, or long queues, women are often either absent or in the minority. Why is this so? One part of the reason is the traditional gender roles which require women to engage in household work. The other part has to do with concerns of safety or simply the impression that so-called public spaces are unwelcome to women. The Shakti scheme launched by the Congress government in Karnataka seeks to change this.
Challenging gender stereotypes
Under this scheme, where women can travel for free on State buses, the aim is to make transport more accessible and safer for women. Removing even small cost barriers can have a big impact. This is especially the case for women who do not earn and who are financially dependent on their spouses for transport costs. But it is also beneficial to working women. It makes working outside the home more attractive. They save on the commute, making it more viable for women to seek out work. In this way the policy helps challenge gender stereotypes that women belong to the household.
