Nearly Half of US Women Want Women-Only Subway, Train Cars

Almost half of U.S. women want women-only train cars on subways and transit systems according to a recent poll.

The survey, conducted by YouGov, found that 48 percent of adult women supported trains and subways nearest to them reserving a car for women only.

Of all adults, 43 percent said they would “strongly or somewhat support” the initiative whilst 30 percent “strongly or somewhat” opposed and 27 percent were unsure.

Sociologist Katie Gaddini told Newsweek she was unsurprised by the findings “given the high rates of sexual assault and harassment targeting women in the U.S.”

Research published by Statista this year found that over a one-year period, 442,754 women were raped or sexually assaulted in the country, compared to 89,053 men.

“Many American women are seeking new strategies for safety – especially younger women who have gone through the MeToo movement and are more conscious of the myriad places gendered violence occurs. Women-only trains present a safe way to travel for them,” Gaddini said.

The same women that responded to YouGov’s survey reported that they were more likely than men to experience unwanted staring, unwanted verbal remarks, cat calling, unwanted touching, and unwanted exposure.

Thirty-nine percent of women said they had experienced at least one of the above, as well as theft of personal property, whilst using public transportation – though Gaddini suggested these figures were likely underreported.

YouGov said its survey was conducted online between June 21 and June 24, among 31,624 U.S. adults, and that its margin of error was around one percent.

Women with negative experiences on public transit were also more likely to support reserving a subway car for women only, according to the poll.

Trains in several countries, such as Japan, India, and Egypt already have train compartments reserved for women only.

In March, Newsweek extracted data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey to help determine which states were the most dangerous for women.

According to the data, over 67 percent of women in Washington D.C. had experienced sexual violence at some point in their lives – the highest in the U.S.

Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming, and West Virginia followed.

Their percentages were 65.4, 61.9, 62, 61.7, 63.1, and 61.7 respectively.

President of the National Organization For Women, Christian F. Nunes told Newsweek that funding should be allocated to close any loopholes around domestic violence, stalking, or sexual assault.

“This includes combating the alarming rise of AI-generated deepfake imagery,” she said.

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