Neu -Delhi: One afternoon in 2024 Aman Prakash traveled with his girlfriend Divya Aggarwal in the Metro Delhi (name changed). In the U -Bahn station Rohini West both had to use the washroom and went to the Sulabh toilet system, which were made available in the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) train stations. When she got out almost at the same time, Prakash handed over a coin of 2 GBP like normally. His friend also has a 2 -pound coin -but the person responsible declined. “Madam, ladies ka paanch hi Lagta Hai.” (Madam, for women it is always £ 5.) Aggarwal argued, but finally gave a coin of 5 GBP for the use of the same facility that Practice used for 2 GBP.
Two coins, two realities
The 30-year-old Prakash lives in Rithala in the northwest of Delhi and works in an automotive company. He commutes every day in the U -Bahn. “The prices that were written on the board are the same for both men and women, but I have long seen that women are calculated 5 GBP and men always escape from only paying 2 GBP, regardless of which facilities they use inside,” says Prakash.
Source: Tuiyba
Shikha Singh, 20, who lives in Uttam Nagar West and often travels from the U -Bahn, says that she always pays 5 GBP to use the washroom regardless of the furnishings. She remembers one day when she left the Sulabh toilet at a U -Bahn station, a woman in a visible need. The woman only had 3 GBP, but the staff did not allow her to use the washroom.
“You told her that we would not give you an entry. You have to pay £ 5,” says Singh.
According to Singh, access to the washroom is a fundamental right, and if not free, at least for men and women in practice, it should at least be the same, not just on paper.
Gender -specific trust, stereotypes and unequal enforcement
Sulabh has clear guidelines for the price structure at every subway station, but people say that it is rarely persecuted. Women are usually asked for a uniform indictment regardless of the facility they use. If someone argues that they are only used for the urinal purpose, he is told that they do not know which facility they have used. Women claim that they are told that in their case it is difficult to check what they used and they have to pay 5 GBP. You wonder why the same logic does not apply to men. It may be easier to distinguish between urinals and toilets in the men’s section, but in practice nobody checks men. Your word is accepted.
“The prices that were written on the board are the same for both men and women, but I have long seen that women are burdened £ 5 and men always escape from only paying 2 GBP, regardless of which facilities they use inside”
The 27 -year -old Deepak Nagar, who works in a multinational company every day and commutes every day: “I always pay 2 Gbp. Even if I sometimes use the toilet, I know that they will not question me. So I only get by with £ 2. ‘While Nagar is released after numbers of 2 GBP, he notes a different situation for women.’ Dive over the prices, but the staff does not listen.
There could be different reasons for this. People point out how gender -specific stereotypes, perceptions of trust, authority and necessity influence these everyday interactions. Prakash believes that there could be a reason that women take more time in washrooms. They are also regarded as gullible and less likely to argue.
Source: Tuiyba
“I saw how women give up this argument and finally paid 5 GBP. As soon as the employees push back, women tend to give up,” says Prakash. “They do it to those of whom they believe that they can be pushed – sometimes to know men sometimes,” he adds. Ratika Gandhi, a 30-year-old woman from Mukherjee Nagar, who often uses DMRC frames, has a similar view. “Women take more time for hair, make-up, change, etc.- so that the staff will invoice them to the upper price,” says Gandhi. “Men argue, women generally not, and we are in a hurry.”
There are also broader social reasons for the alleged inequality. Chaaya Kumari, a 20-year-old student, believes that women are not really able to protest. ‘It is our necessity. We have to endure it, «says Kumari. ‘Men can do it anywhere. They don’t quite rely on these facilities. If you don’t get a place, you can even relieve yourself in open areas. ‘
“We women have a natural cycle and different physiological needs. We urgently need a washroom at any location. However, this is used as a reason to calculate more,” adds Kumari.
When the ‘public’ infrastructure triggers half of the public
Many women also have the feeling that they have internalized the idea of paying more. They often do not question it. The 26 -year -old Simran Arora, who works in the corporate sector and uses metrowa shops every day, says that there is a clear difference in how men and women are charged.
‘Women internalized this. We are used to things like the pink tax – we get the same razor as men, but at a higher price. It reflects everywhere. We often do not question these prices, and that’s why we are calculated in this way, ”she says.
Arora once commemorates to argue, but the staff said they did not know which facility used to use the washroom. She was said to pay £ 5. According to the Arora infrastructure, the infrastructure is mainly for men. In my college, the women’s washroom had a separate urinal section. If you really don’t know what we used, why not implement this type of structure here? ‘She asks. ‘It is a patriarchal world. The infrastructure was mainly developed for men, making it complex for women. It can take two or three generations to change this. ‘
ARORA adds that in the middle of larger topics such as sexual harassment and income gaps, such problems are ignored – even though they affect women every day. “Women can have different needs, but that shouldn’t mean unequal charges,” she says. Arora also emphasizes how women from groups with lower incomes meet harder.
‘It is a patriarchal world. The infrastructure was mainly developed for men, making it complex for women. It can take two or three generations to change this. ‘
“You avoid using the washroom. You keep it because £ 5 is a large amount for you,” she says. Prakash also explains how a small difference adds up in the fees. “Take a woman who wants to use the washroom five times a day. That is 25 GBP. According to the official guideline, it should be 10 GBP. This is a 2.5 -fold difference that is important for an ordinary woman, ”he says.
The Sulabh International- Operation and maintenance team said that it is aimed at providing accessible hygiene and sanitary facilities for minimal fees. “We do not differentiate because of gender – our pricing is uniform for both men and women and is clearly exhibited at every station,” said a representative. “Whenever we received symptoms, we seriously addressed them. If an official was blamed, corresponding measures were taken immediately. ‘
Nevertheless, people – especially women – say the rules have to be implemented strictly on site because the soil reality remains. Professor Krishna Menon, a gender studies at AMBEDKAR University, says it is difficult to blame if the price structure is the same on paper. “It could be a problem of implementation,” she says.
Menon explains how Public rooms are often designed for men and your needs. ‘Men dominate public spaces. Not only washing spaces – almost all public infrastructures are shaped by the needs of men, ”she says. The Menon also points to the gender -specific perception of trust – where the words of men are more easily accepted than women.
‘Sulabh could place an employee near men’s and women’s frames to monitor use and at the same time maintain privacy. In this way, pricing can be enforced more fairly, ”suggests Menon. It may seem like a small problem, but it reflects an unspoken form of everyday discrimination due to gender in urban spaces. The metro from Delhi has a significant part of the commuters. However, this problem has not received enough attention.
While washrooms in U -Bahn lines have uniform price structures, women claim to pay more, which highlights a persistent and overlooked form of gender distortion in public locations and in the infrastructure.
Anuj Dayal, director of the main director (Corporate Communications), DMRC, said: “We have ensured that price guidelines and usage instructions on all U -Bahn stations for the convenience of commuters are prominently displayed. Turn the complaint.
Deepak Nagar, like the only time, remembers that he pays £ 5 when he travels with a woman and both use the washroom at about the same time. To avoid changing the back and forth, simply hand over a £ 10-note jewels 5 GBP. It is only in these moments that do more than fairness than pricing. He always pays £ 2.
