GENDERED SPACES AND UNEQUAL JOURNEYS: UNDERSTANDING HOW HARASSMENT SHAPES WOMEN’S ACCESS TO URBAN MOBILITY IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

The research investigates how harassment in public transit spaces affects female behaviour during their trips through a detailed examination of harassment frequencies and manifestations alongside the responses women exhibit. Public transport harassment occurs widely enough to block female mobility and slash their education and employment possibilities, thus continuing societal gender disparities. This research study evaluates gendered spaces and unequal journeys: understanding how harassment shapes women’s access to urban mobility in Pakistan. A total of 422 female public transport regular users from urban environments participated in the research through a quantitative data collection approach with open-ended questions. The research relies on feminist theory together with the social-ecological model as theoretical foundations for harassment as a gendered phenomenon that limits women's mobility. The gender-based analysis of patriarchal norms, together with power asymmetries, produces hostile public environments for women according to the feminist approach alongside the social-ecological model that explores how individual social systems affect behavioural patterns. The research established societal norms and safety perceptions as major elements that determine this relationship because female users with unsafe public transportation perceptions tend to avoid public transport. Male-only compartments and strengthened security protocols established through gender-sensitive policies actively lower both harassment occurrences and their effects on women's freedom to travel. The author recommends that government officials develop gender-aware policies and research teams need to execute long-running studies and undertake cultural assessment research to assess intervention performance for developing comprehensive knowledge regarding harassment consequences for women navigating freely. Empirical data about harassment effects on female travel patterns becomes part of the knowledge about gender-based violence within urban environments through this study. This research proposes practical solutions to develop protective public transport systems that strengthen gender equality and allow women to be completely safe when using public transportation and open urban areas. When stakeholders take steps to root out harassment, they can work toward establishing a society based on accountability and respect.