There has been much discussion about the misogynistic tendencies of the Charedim who have instituted segregated buses in Israel. The so called Mehadrin buses.
Many of us who were raised in America, have accused these Charedim of being misogynists. They see a group of people treating women like second class citizens… relegating them to sit in the back of a bus where the toxic bus fumes are stronger and the ride is not as comfortable.
The counter to that by defenders of that practice is that they are merely trying to execute their very high Tznius standards. By segregating the sexes, they avoid the possibility of men and women sitting together on the same seat. This avoids any possible incidental contact. It also helps avoid any improper sexual fantasizing by gazing at women next to or in front of you. Especially those who dress in a sexually provocative manner as many secular women do in the heat of the summer. Much flesh is exposed by some of them then.
Though I do not personally see the need to have separate sections on a bus… any more than I see the need to have separate sidewalks (i.e. alternate sides of a street: one side men; one side women) I understand that others do not accept my Tznius standards and need to separate the sexes. What I strongly oppose is how some of them deal with violators. But that is not my issue here.
But, the truth is that there is an element of misogyny there. Or at least selfishness on the part of the men who decided how the separation is going to take place.
Why must the women go to the back? Why not divide the bus down the middle? One side men… and one side women? If the concern is that those women can still be seen and ‘ogled’ …then let them install curtains on those buses. This has been successfully done in Chasidic commintuiies in America. It is a minimal expense and certainly worth the investment. Why should half the population in Israel be required to sit in a section of the bus that is far less comfortable than what the other half gets? Is this how we treat our women?
Sexual mores of this community cannot be the excuse fore such behavior. Not when there is a decent alternative. That women in that community prefer being segregated from the men is not the issue either. Many feel it is worth the sacrifice to have the privacy. But why should they sacrifice comfort for privacy if they can have both by splitting the bus lengthwise down the middle?
It should therefore be no surprise that Americans look at this with disgust. That’s because it is disgusting! This is a practice that, to Americans, brings back images of ugly segregationist practices in the South.
If Americans can design buses that divide sides and install curtains for their community, so can Israelis. It’s time to for the ‘back of the bus’ practice to end. Our women deserve better.
The back of the bus is indeed a second class section and all the excuses in the world aren’t going to change that.
