Women Only

This sign designates where women wait for the Women Only cars on the train. There are several cars on each subway train allocated for women only and some for women and families. Men, husbands and young male children, of women passengers are allowed on these cars. The Women Only cars have a red designation over the entryway of each car, and the family cars have a green designation.

On many of the subway platforms there are special police that patrol the women-only area preventing men from getting on these cars. Up until last night I was only aware of them standing guard over the women-only area on the platform. But last night I saw these police in action.

A woman friend and I were coming home from a dinner party on Zamalek. We got on the women's-only car and were astounded by the number of men on the car. Somehow these men had gotten by those platform police.

(Here I must interject that the women's car is always cleaner and smells nicer than the other cars, so it is no wonder that some men might prefer them, not to mention the opportunity to pick-up an interesting conversation, and perhaps, make a new friend. )

Older women were arguing with some of the younger men aboard, and things were getting heated and loud. We couldn't understand their conversation, but figured out the gist of it from the body language and tone of voice. Those women wanted the men out of the car. The men didn't want to leave.

Several stops later, police boarded the train, banging their nightsticks, yelling and making lots of noise. It was a raid! We just sat there wondering how this was going to play out and impact on us. We had no idea what was going on.

The police never came more than a foot into the car and then jumped off. Whatever they yelled, the message was clear. The women sat tight and the men scattered, tripping over themselves as they ran to make a fast exit from the train.

After things died down, you could sense that the women on board were thankful for the raid. My friend and I speculated that perhaps someone called the police to alert them to all the men aboard our train. We will never know.

The rest of the trip home, was in a true women-only car, with nary a hint of testosterone.