Women Are Sharing The Absurd Lengths They Go To In Order To Feel Safe On The Subway — And It’s Exhausting

For women, jumping on the train to get from point A to point B isn’t as simple as knowing which station to hop off at. It involves doing a careful risk assessment of how to avoid a ride that will leave you traumatized. Which subway platforms are best avoided, even if it means walking farther, because they’re dimly lit? Where’s the best place to sit to avoid any creepers who may be on the train?

While not every transit ride is eventful, verbal harassment, sexual assault and general feelings of uneasiness due to other riders’ behaviors happen regularly enough for many women to have mixed feelings about their transit systems.

In a survey conducted in 2018 by New York University’s Rudin Center for Transportation Policy and Management, 75% of women (compared to 47% of men) responded that they had been subject to harassment or theft on public transportation. Fifty-four percent of female respondents reported being concerned about being harassed while using public transportation, compared to only 20% of male respondents.

In Los Angeles, a 2022 report by LA Metro has revealed a drop in the number of women using its buses and trains, with almost 50% of those surveyed citing crime, sexual harassment and safety as their primary concerns.

Sofia DiStefano, a singer in Los Angeles, said multiple experiences on the LA Metro have left her worried for her safety.

“I’ve had men follow me from [car to car], or bus to bus,” she said. “I’ve had men get angry at me for not acknowledging them. Touching my body like my leg or arm for attention and saying, ‘I just want to talk to you and tell you you’re beautiful.’”

What makes it worse is that many times, other male passengers have witnessed the harassment and said nothing.

Subway harassment got so bad for DiStefano, she switched to just taking the bus since she can sit closer to the driver.

“It’s ridiculous, because we all have the right to safe public transportation,” she told HuffPost.

Of course, this isn’t a uniquely American problem: Studies looking at public transit systems across the globe show that women are more hesitant to ride the train out of concerns for their safety. (Despite having women-only cars, the problem of harassment and gender violence persists in Mexico City’s metro.)

But recent cases stateside serve as a reminder that…