Why are ‘women priority’ carriages on China’s subway being overrun by men?
Scheme to provide dedicated spaces on Shenzhen metro during rush hour periods fails to deliver desired results as men outnumber women by two to one
The introduction of “priority carriages” for women on the Shenzhen city metro in southern China has failed to have the desired effect, local media reported.
The scheme was launched on June 26, with two designated carriages – one at each end – attached to each train running during peak times on subway lines 1, 3, 4 and 5, Beijing Youth Daily reported.
Despite media reports saying last week that passengers would be made aware of the scheme, it appears they were not, or if they were, they apparently chose to ignore it.
According to the newspaper, when it checked who was travelling in one of the priority carriages, it found there were 26 men and 12 women. It said also that it observed some women failing to board a rush-hour train due to overcrowding.
