Cairo metro sparks gender debate

Cairo: Established women-only carriages years ago

By Caroline Hawley in Cairo

In the Egyptian capital, Cairo, the metro is facing a possible lawsuit for gender discrimination because of its women-only carriages.

A Cairo-based lawyer, Atef Khedr, has threatened to take the metro authorities to court if it does not provide men-only carriages as well, within 60 days.

The head of the metro, Shaaban Mahmoud, told the BBC that he was consulting lawyers over how to respond.

Egyptian society is still male dominated

Egyptian women often complain that men abuse the physical proximity forced on users of the capital's over-burdened public transport system.

To avoid being groped or flirted with, many choose to ride the special women-only carriages provided on the Cairo underground.

As one woman explains: "It is a security thing, there is a lot of sexual harassment."

Hounded off

The women-only carriages have been around for several years, but only recently attracted the resentment of Mr Khedr, who says he mistakenly got on one and was unceremoniously hounded off.

He complains that women, as well as having their own carriages, also expect men to give up their seats in the mixed ones.

Egyptian women, he argues more generally, are becoming just too demanding.

"Women in Egypt are doctors, university professors and in the future they might be allowed to become judges. There is no distinction between men and women any more, " he said.

Feeling threatened

Many people have laughed off Atef Khedr's complaint against the metro, but there is a more serious point.

Sociologist Mediha al-Safty says some men now feel threatened.

"Men say 'now you have all your rights, it is time for us to start asking for equality,' but they have their rights, culturally speaking it is a male-dominated society."

That has not stopped one male journalist from sarcastically calling for the establishment of a National Council for Men, after a National Council for Women was set up last year.

Whatever the views of Atef Khedr and like-minded men, few women think the battle for equality is won.

As one woman says:

"An eastern man usually sees the wife for working at home, taking care of the kids. He never thinks that she is a person, she needs her own life, there is a lot that needs to be done."

But at present one thing is clear, whatever is done to remedy the situation it will not happen without a good deal of opposition from many Egyptian men.