Sexual harassment on public transport and its impact on women

Abstract

Objective. This study aims to put on the spotlight those subtle yet persistent sexual harassment offences that force women to navigate everyday spaces with discomfort. It is through those “innocuous” behaviours that sexual harassment creates an environment where speaking up feels like an act of rebellion against an ingrained status quo. To do so, this paper explores the relationship between sexual harassment on public transport and women’s daily mobility choices across the cities of Madrid, London, and Paris. Methodology. Self-collected data through online survey method is used to perform a comparative quantitative analysis of the incidence of prior instances of sexual harassment on the frequency of route alteration in public transport due to safety concerns. Descriptive analytics of the phenomenon are provided, while also regressions with control variables and interaction terms are performed, allowing for the extrapolation of the study. Results. Besides demonstrating the prevalence of sexual harassment in socially advanced societies, the study shows how prior instances of sexual harassment increase the likelihood of altering transport route due to safety concerns. (ii) how this relationship is stronger among women than men, and (iii) how the gender difference in this relationship is stronger among younger generations of women. It also analyses route modification choices and their implications for gender equality, while proposing solutions to the problem drawn from the respondents themselves. Conclusion. By systematically measuring route disruption and adopting a standardized and holistic definition of the studied phenomenon, this research offers a novel approach to understanding sexual harassment in public transport, revealing the urgent need for intersectional policies to safeguard women's mobility.