Gender differences in urban mobility. Travel experiences of women in the Mexico City Subway

Abstract

Since the nineties urban mobility has been one of the main concerns of gender geographies. Indeed, some geographers say that mobility on the one hand expresses a clear link between social and territorial phenomena and on the other, is one of the everyday experiences that most affect the quality of urban life (Hanson, 2010). This has revealed that the processes of urban mobility are heterogeneous and unequal, to the extent that both the urban structure, as well as individual behavior and perception of urban spaces is in different ways influenced by sociocultural factors such as gender, age, type of activity among others. In this context, this paper explores one hand travel experiences of women in the Mexico City Metro and the role of insecurity and violence in their travel through the city. It also analyzes some effects it has had to implement women-only cars in urban mobility of users of this service.