Summary

The article discusses the unique ways in which women mature and develop a sense of freedom, individualism, and resilience through the challenges of using public transportation systems worldwide.

Abstract

The article delves into the concept of adulthood and maturity, particularly focusing on how women experience and navigate the complexities of public transportation. It suggests that the ability to travel independently, often fraught with stress and discomfort, contributes significantly to women's maturity. Women tend to multitask during their commutes, facing inconveniences such as sexual harassment and lack of seating, which they overcome with remarkable resilience. The experience of public transit allows women to explore their individualism, challenging traditional roles and expectations. The article emphasizes that women's considerate and patient behavior towards fellow passengers is a testament to their tolerance and maturity. It also highlights how women learn to confront fear and develop a strong sense of responsibility towards their well-being. The conclusion posits that addressing everyday issues in public transport can lead to societal change and allow women to fully enjoy their opportunities.

Opinions

The author believes that women's ability to travel independently is a significant marker of maturity.
Women often combine multiple tasks in a single trip, leading to extended time on public transport and a range of inconveniences.
Despite facing numerous challenges, including sexual harassment, women persevere and continue to use public transportation.
Public transit environments provide women with opportunities for self-discovery and to challenge traditional gender roles.
Women are seen as more considerate and kind to fellow passengers, which the author views as a display of mastery in tolerance and patience.
The article suggests that women have a higher tolerance for uncomfortable situations and develop resilience through their experiences on public transport.
The author implies that overcoming fear is a part of women's maturation process as they learn to stand up for themselves in challenging public transit scenarios.
Experiences on public transportation push women to new heights of maturity and give them a broader perspective of the world.
The author concludes that solving everyday public transport issues can contribute to appreciable societal change and allow women to maximize their potential.

Do Women Mature Differently From Using Public Transportation Than Men?

A whole new understanding of women riding the public transport systems around the world

Adulthood is an elusive journey. We often wonder at what point we become adults. What signals show that we have successfully crossed over to the mature side of life? While there may be quite a few attributes that define adulthood, the most important one is perhaps the ability to sense freedom. Freedom to not just anything but to carry oneself in the most secured and safest way possible through the cruelty of the world. And hence a significant way to taste this freedom is through traveling.

Being able to travel by ourselves is a monumental achievement, and rightfully so. It requires us to take care of ourselves and figure our way through steep mountains, local bars, unknown cities, busy streets, and complicated public transit systems.

Being a woman, I hate to admit that I love public transits! However, it’s only been a few years that thousands of women have logistically been able to travel successfully. I have had my fair share of struggles, inconveniences, and nightmares when I was figuring my way out in chaotic cities such as London, Dhaka, Moscow, New York, Athens, Casablanca, Berlin, and Cairo among many others. The level of intense stress and sometimes discomfort I had to face was too much. And during these trips, I have often wondered if men feel the same level of discomfort while using public transportation.

Perhaps or perhaps not — at least not to the extent of how women deal with things. But in finding their way out through both local and international travels, there are few things that make women mature travelers. As a result, we experience life slightly differently than our fellow male counterparts.

Overcoming a mountain of inconveniences

Women often ‘chain’ their activities by combining multiple tasks mostly within a single trip and as a result, end up spending a lot of time on public transits. And with these trips come a long list of inconveniences such as sexual harassment stories or something as small as unable to find a proper seat after a long day on the local train/bus. Despite hundreds and thousands of negative experiences, we still get up, pull our socks up and go about running our errands when we have to — smashing many inconveniences on the way.

Learning about individualism

Public transits are perhaps the worst places to ‘discover’ oneself, but that we ‘do our own thing at our convenience’ may better explain why we like to taste our individualism. Given our traditional roles, the stay-at-home mom role was the basic expectation. Thus being able to just find ourselves in the middle of a crowd full of strangers helps us think through life a lot and also lets us enjoy our own company.

Facing the adventure out there

Women are more considerate, caring, and kind to fellow passengers. While we may not always receive the same respect back, we exercise our tolerance, consideration skills, and patience at a mastery level. These traits would not be visible if we hadn’t stepped out and pushed ourselves in a packed bus or train. So yes, I am happy to call the whole experience an adventure.

Overcoming the fear of ‘fear’

I don’t think there is any woman out there who hasn’t experienced scary situations by themselves. From random stalkers to an uncomfortable touch or that man spreader sitting like an idiot — we have way more stories to tell than men can bear to hear. But with time, instead of giving in to the fear of these uncomfortable situations, we have learned to come out of our shells and can call people out if we have to. The remarkable resilience we eventually develop is really commendable.

Pushing oneself to new heights

When women travel alone on public transportation, it subjects them to experience a lot of incidents. Sometimes they become helpless witnesses and sometimes victims. But they relate to other women and understand their pain in a more mature way than just reading the news from a newspaper or social media. Women become stronger and better at gaining world perspective with each ride they take, and their maturity increases.

Responsibility towards wellness, body, and spirit

While being on the road among strangers, women get to reconnect to a side they have never seen before. For instance, if a woman walks a lot to catch a bus and somehow they realize they enjoy walking, then no matter how tiring that is, they would continue that activity for their mental happiness. This works for them because such incidences make them more responsible and caring towards themselves.

Conclusion

Maturity is not a measure of how well women travel, but how well they handle many travel-related issues like a badass. Attitudes and behavior of the human civilization are shaped by societal factors and, while they are difficult to change, increase in women’s opportunities and maximizing their potential can help them enjoy their ‘rides’ to the fullest. Thus solving everyday issues in public transport can bring appreciable change to society, which will provide an opportunity to practice goodwill, talents, and harbor energy for both — men and women.

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