Aim To observe passengers in the metro and their seating behaviour with respect to seats reserved for women.

Introduction In the contemporary India, women have broken out of the bondage of tradition, of culture that in the past has ruled their decisions, their lives. More and more women are venturing into the public space, entering the job market, engaging in economic and socio-political transactions. A question that rises in a situation like this is how comfortable are these women in these public spaces? A public space can be defined as a place of interrelation, social encounter and exchange where groups with different interests converge (Ortiz, Garcia Ramon and Prats, 2004). Public space in general has always been a mans domain and even though a lot of women have endeavoured out in this space, they still are alienated. Public spaces are generally planned to facilitate the movement of men in and around. That can be clearly seen in the very basic fact that there exist numerous number of public toilets for whereas almost none for women. There has been a critique from feminist scholars of many approaches to urban studies and urba planning for being male-biased and based on a perception of people as un-gendered (Boverket 1996, Friberg 2002, Garca-Ramon 2004, Greed 1994, Hayden 2000, McDowell 1999, Sandercock 1998, Terlinden 2003, Wilson 1992). The right to a city space and its accessibility ought to be materialised for all the citizens irrespective of their age, gender or any other personal characteristic. The major concern that women face in public spaces is their sense of security. There still exist long stretches of roads with no street lights, areas that look abandoned at night etc. But there is one major are where women face the highest amount of anxiety and that too in broad day light and that is public transport. The constant dread of get harassed in public spaces except of being a nuisance also affects whether women chose to endeavour into public spaces or not and has larger implication like joining the workforce, or travelling long distances to study. In the wake of all this issues that affect women on a day to day basis there is a nee accommodate the needs of women in public spaces especially in public transport. A step in this direction is the reserving of seats for women in public transport both in buses and metros. But, the effectiveness of these measures is still under scrutiny. The essential aim of any concession given to women is to make sure that they become an active part of the public space. But these measures have also in a way induced a sense of resentment in the male passengers towards the female passengers because of the discomfort these cause them.

Another step towards ensuring the safety of women in public spaces especially the metro is the reservation of an entire coach for women. This step does essentially elevate the sense of security that a woman feels in public spaces. But to look at the larger picture here, this is just another way of excluding women from the general public. Rationale With the increased presence of women in public spaces there also has been a tremendous increase in the number of female commuters in the various modes of public transport and with this emerges the need to make these means of transports more accommodating for women, in terms of the level of security they provide as well as the comfort. Various modes of public transport hence have the reservations of seat and in the case of the Delhi metro the reservation of an entire carriage for women along with the conventional reservation of seats. These measures have various impacts on both men and women especially, men who face a lot of discomfort resulting from such reserved seats. This necessitates the need to study the behaviour as well as attitude of male passengers towards these concessions being provided to women. This study aims at examining the same. Participant observation enables the researcher to study a behaviour or phenomenon in its natural setting. The study used the method of participant observation to gain pure and authentic data from its source of occurrence. The method of participant observation provided the researcher a chance to gain an insight into the opinions of male as well as female passengers regarding reserved seats as well as the reasons behind them. Methodology Design: The study was undertaken based on the method of participant observation to collect data. The context that was observed was the non general (non-reserved) compartment of the Delhi Metro. The sampling technique employed was that of Incident Sampling i.e. the behaviour to be observed was sampled as and when it occurred in the time period of observation. Two time periods of the observation were identified: Rush hour (8 am to 11am or 5pm to 7pm) for approx half hour Non rush hour (12pm- 4pm) for approx half hour

Phase 1 Descriptive Observation: This phase aimed at providing the researcher with an orientation of the field under study and gave the researcher a general approximation of the complexities of the field

of study. Each of the researchers boarded the metro train at both of the two time slots (rush hour and non rush hour)and observed the behaviour of people sitting on the ladies only reserved seats in the metro. This helped the researcher get familiarised with the field of study, undertake some initial observations regarding the target behaviour under study and get and practice taking field notes. The researcher in this stage of the study adopted the role of an observer and not a participant. It consisted of four rides on the metro, two during rush hour and two during non rush hour, each for about half an hour at least. The observer would board the general compartment and observe the general context like the number of people in the compartment and the number of women and also the behaviour of passengers occupying the ladies only reserved seat. Phase 2 Focussed Observation: In this phase of study the general behavioural trends observed in the field of study were narrowed down and the target behaviour(s) was identified: A male passenger occupying the seat reserved for women in the general compartment of metro train This behaviour was studied in terms of three distinct components: the antecedents i.e. what happens before the behaviour occurs; the behaviour itself and the consequence i.e. what follows the behaviour. The antecedents included the follows (but were not restricted to just these behaviours): How crowded the compartment was? How many other female passengers were in the compartment? Did the male voluntarily get up an offer the seat to the researcher or any other female passenger? What socio-economic background did the male and female passenger belong to? What ages were the male and female passengers?

The target behaviour: Account of the male passenger occupying the seat reserved for ladies What his behaviour, his gestures were? Whether he maintained an eye contact or not? Did the female passenger ask for the seat? How did she do it?

The consequences: How did the male passenger respond? Did he get up? What were the verbal and physical gestures of the male passenger after the female passenger makes the request?

Phase Three Participant Observation: The Final Stage of the study involved conducting an informal interview with two females and two males in both the rush hour and non rush hour and asking them questions regarding their own behaviour with relevance to the target situation as well as their views about seats reserved for females passengers in the general compartment and the reservation of an entire compartment for female passengers. Sampling: The study espoused the technique of incident based sampling .The target episode under study was identified as a male passenger occupying seat reserved for ladies in the general compartment of the metro. While the researcher made her observations no restrictions were made on the age group, socioeconomic status etc of the passengers who were observed and the observation was conducted in its natural setting. Measures: The study adopted the participant observation method for data collection. Participant observation refers to The process of learning through exposure to or involvement in the day-to-day or routine activities of participants in the researcher setting" (Schensul, and LeCompte, 1999) The purpose of participant observation is to look at an event or phenomena from through the eyes of the people who actually experience them and through this gain insight into not only the event itself but also, how it affects the people involved. In participant observation the event or phenomena is observed in its natural setting without any manipulations from the researcher and the researcher himself or herself becomes an active part of this event. These observations are usually done in a community setting i.e. with people around. An important characteristic of this technique is that the researcher goes to the participants rather than them coming to him or her. And, while the researcher takes observations and catalogues them systematically in the form of field notes the informal interaction with the participants also form an important source of data. Participant observation was chosen as the method of data collection in this study because of the hands on approach that it provides. It give the researcher a chance to observe the target behaviour in its natural setting while making sure that the behaviour does occur (researcher asked for a seat) another advantage that this method provides is that it helps the researcher in studying the actual behaviour that is occurring rather than what people might report, because that could be affected highly by social desirability.

The participant observation was followed by an informal interview with the participants; the following questions were used in the interview: For male passengers: What made you get up? How frequently do you travel by the metro? How often have you been asked by a female to vacate your seat? How do you respond to such requests? Have you ever seen fights between female and male passengers on this topic? What are your views on the reservation of seat for female passengers in the metro? What are your views on the reservation of an entire compartment for female passengers? For female passengers: Do you often ask for a seat? What are your views on reserving seats for female passengers in the general compartment of the metro? How frequently do you travel by the metro? Have you ever been denied a seat? Sometimes women dont ask for seats, why do you think so? How do men respond when do you ask for a seat? What is your opinion about the ladies compartment? Do you usually travel by the general or the ladies compartment?

Procedure: The study was carried out in two phases, the first phase involved the researcher trying to get a general orientation of the field of study and the second phase involved the researcher bringing the focus on to the target of the study. In the First phase the researcher made four trips in the metro train for approx half hour each-once during rush hour and once during non rush hour (two for each). The objective of the researcher here was to gather as much information as possible about the behaviour of male passengers towards seats reserved for women in the general compartmentes. This phase allowed the researcher to get familiar with the context of observation, note processes leading up and following the target incident and practice making field notes. The field notes and observations made from this phase helped to identify and specify the target behaviours to be observed in the next phase

The next phase comprised of observing various aspects of the target behaviour, specifically the aspects mentioned above in the design section as well as holding an informal interview with one of the passengers involved in the target incident. Result Observations Table 1A: Phase One observations in the Rush hour Antecedent Crowded compartment, people crowded near the exit doors but some space empty in the middle of the aisles. Middle aged man, in his 40s, wearing formal clothing (shirt and trousers) with an office bag sitting on the reserved seat. Researcher moves towards the seat, notices her (eye contact for a fleeting moment ) Behaviour Consequence Gets up and waves his hand got up, stood in front of me, towards the seat signalling me and started using his phone to sit.(no eye contact)

Crowded compartment, people Looked up from his seat, Took her place standing and crowded near the exit doors as noticed her, got up kept on listening to music. well as between aisles, very less space left to move. Young man, in his 20s listening to music. Dressed casually in a jeans and t shirt. With a backpack in his lap sitting on the reserved seat. A woman in her mid 20s comes towards the seat, wearing a sari with sindoor and glass bangles.

Table 1B: Phase One observations in Non-Rush hour Antecedent Relatively empty coach, all seats were occupied and a couple of people were standing while leaning next to poles A woman, 25-30 walks in the metro carrying a child, wearing a bright coloured saree. Young man, 20s wearing a shirt and pants with a shoulder bag sitting on the reserved seat notices her Moderately crowded coach, all places occupied and a dozen or so people standing between the aisles. A middle aged man, 40-50s, was wearing a shirt and pants using his mobile sitting on the reserved seat. Notices the researcher Behaviour Consequence Got up, made eye contact, Moved away from the seat and smiled at the child stood next to the exit door

Gets up, points his hand (Researcher said no) sits back towards the seat, makes eye down, starts looking in the contact and says baith jaiye opposite direction of the researcher.

Table 2A: Phase two observations in rush hour Antecedent Crowded metro a lot of people standing and roughly around six or so women in the coach a man 25-30 years old, sitting crossed legged A young woman, in her early 20s with a handbag enters the metro and moves towards the ladies seat Moderately crowded metro, a lot people clustered near the Behaviour Consequence The man gets up (without the He gets up and holds a pole woman having asked) and stands facing the opposite side to his seat.

The young man gets (without being asked)

up Stands in front of the seat, keeps the earphones on

exits A young man wearing casual clothes, mid to late 20s with earphones in his ears sitting on the reserved seat Woman, mid to late 40s carrying a jute bag moves towards the ladies seat Very crowded metro, a man in his mid or late 30 sitting on the reserved seat, dressed in formal pants and a shirt holding a plastic file in his hand. A woman in her mid or late 30s, wearing a suit carrying a handbag and a jute bag comes towards the reserved seat says ladies seat hai Crowded compartment A young man, in his early to mid 20s dressed casually sitting on the reserved seat and using his mobile. A woman in her 30s comes towards the metro carrying an infant

The man gets up slowly, with Stands in front of the seat a distasteful expression on his face

The man gets up (without Stands facing the seat and being asked) keeps working on his mobile

Table 2B: Phase two observations in Non-Rush hour Antecedent Behaviour Consequence Moderately crowded coach, all Both the men get up and let Both of them move near the seats occupied, two young the women sit exit doors men both in their mid to late 20s, dressed casually sitting an talking A lady in her 50s enters the metro with another lady in her 70s enters the metro, move

towards the reserved seats The lady makes eye contact with the young men Relatively empty coach, all seats occupied, no woman in the vicinity. A young man sitting on the reserved seat, in his 20s, casually dressed with a backpack on his lap and using his mobile phone. A young woman, in her 20s, dressed casually enters the coach, she moves towards the ladies seat and points out to the sticker saying ladies seat with her finger. Modestly crowded coach, people crowded around the exits, a young man in his mid or late 20s wearing a shirt and pants and wearing well worn shoes with a backpack sitting on the reserved seat A woman, mid to late 20s carrying a handbag and a newspaper in her hand walks towards the reserved seat looks down towards him and says ladies seat

The young man makes eye He stands up and leans against contact puts his mobile in his a pole and puts his backpack pocket and gets up on his shoulder and takes his phone out and starts using it.

Man gets up

Carrying his bag in one hand moves towards and exit door and stands there

Interview One (female 1, non-rush hour) Aap metro me kitni bar jate hai? Har 10-15 din me ek baar to jana ho hi jata hai Kya apko kabhi kissi ne seat ke liye mna kiya hai? Vaise to koi mna nhi karta magar kal hi do ladke the maine kaha uth jaiye to pehle to suna hai nhi, fir maine kaha uth jaiye kum se kum mata ji ko to baithne di jiye, fir hi jakr uthe vo.

Kya app seat ke liye puchti hai? Vaise to puchna nhi padta, khud hi uth jate hai log. Bahut aurte puchti nhi hai, apko kya lagta hai ki kyu nhi puchti? Unhe lagta hai ki khud uth jaye to hi acha hai, varna agar nhi uthe to khud ki bhezti kon krana chahta hai. Kya appne kabhi kissi aadmi aur aurat ke beech me seat ko lekar jaghda hote huye dekha hai? Nahi nahi Aap ladies me jati hai ya general me? General me hi jate hai, yaha seat mil jati hai. Kya appko lagta hai ki ladies compartment hona chahiye? Dekhiye me to jati nhi hu usme to muje itna pta nhi hai achi hi baat hai magr muje nhi lagta use koi farak padta hai. Kya apko lagta hai ki general me seat honi chahiye Ha bilkul

Interview Two (female 2, non rush hour) Why did you ask for a seat? I am really tired Do you often ask for a seat? In the general compartment, very often What do you think about reserving seats for women in the general compartment? It helps me personally but we can stand too How frequently do you travel by the metro? Everyday Have you ever been denied a seat?

Yes, often A lot of women dont ask for seats, why? I think they are too embarrassed How do men respond when you ask for a seat? Usually they get up but sometimes they dont so I just back off What is your opinion about the ladies compartment? Its alright, we can travel either way but the ladies compartment is helpful when its really crowded. Do you usually travel in the ladies or the general compartment? Ladies compartment, I travel in the general compartment only when I am with friends.

Interview 3 (male 1, non rush hour) What made you get up? She asked me to What do you think about the reservation of seats for women in the general compartment? I think they are helpful, but women can stand sometime too How frequently do you travel by the metro? Everyday How often have you been asked by a female passenger to vacate a seat? I dont generally sit on a reserved seat How do you respond if someone asks you to get up? If someone asks me to get up then I do, obviously Have you seen men and women fight for seats? Yes, I think a lot of men dont know the meaning of reserved seats. What do you think about the ladies compartment?

Its helpful I think, especially when the metro is too crowded.

Interview 4 (male 2, non rush hour) Aap abhi kyu uthe? Agar me nhi uthta to tane marti, chillati isse ach auth hi jao App metro me kitni bar ate hai? Har roz Apko general compartment me ladies ke liye reserved seats kebare me kya lagta hai? Dekhiye muje lagta hai ki ladies seats nhi honi chahie,buzurg logo ke liye reserved seat thik hai magar ladies to khadi bhi ho sakti hai App se ladies ne kitni bar uthne ko bola hai? Bahut bar puchte hai How do you respond? Agar vo umar me badi hai to me khud hi uth jata hu varna me tabhi hi uthta hu agar vo mujse puchti hai Apko kya lagta hai ki ladies compartment hona chahiye? Ladies compartment to hona hi chahie magar ye reserved seats galat hai.

Interview 5 (female 1, rush hour) Do you ask for seats? No, the men willingly get up How often do you ask? Not often, but if somebody offers then I take it Have you ever been denied a seat? Never Why do you think a lot of women dont ask for seats?

I dont know What are your views about seats reserved for women in the general compartment? They are helpful, especially for older women who travel in general compartment What are your views on the ladies compartment? Yes, that the ladies compartment is should be there, I actually think that 2 ladies compartments should be there.

Interview 6 (female 2, rush hour) App metro me kitni bar ate hai? Haar roz Kya ap har bar seat ke liye bolte hai? Mangni nhi pagti, gents khud hi uth jate hai Kya reserved seats honi chhaie general compartment me? Hume to lagega hi ki honi chahie magar bahut bar gents ko bahut problem hoti hai. Kya apko kabhi kissi ne seat dene se mna kiya hai? Nhi Bahut ladies seat ke liye puchti nhi hai? Kyu? Gents khud hi uth jate hai, muje nhi lagta ki puchne ki zrurat padti hai Jab app puchti hai to vo kya karte hai? Uth jate hai Aap general compartment me jati hai ya ladies me? Me to general me hi jati hu, yha se seediya pass hai isliye Kya ladies coach hona chahiye? Ha bilkul, zaruri hai

Interview 7 (male 1 rush hour) Aap abhi kyu uthe? Respect, koi puchta ha to uthna padta hai Aap metro me kitni baar jate hai? 2-4 bar har roz Apko kitni bar seat se uthne ke liya bola gya hai? Bahut bar, muje lagta hai har roz Aap kya karte hai? Uthna padta hai Kon puchta hai? Umar kya hoti hai unki? Vaise to 30-35 ke aurte hoti hai, kabhi kabhi choti bhi hoti hai, 20-25 sall ki Vo kaise puchti hai apse? Sabh tareeke hai, kuch bahut formal hokar puchti hai aur kuch bilkul akad dikha kar Kya apne kabhi jaghde dekhe hai? Ha bahut jaghde hote hai Apko kya lagta hai reserved seats honi chahiye? Honi chahiye, har zagah hoti hai bus me bhi Aur ladies coach? Vo hona chahiye? Ha hona hi chahiye, magar vha kbhi seat nhi milti yaha kum se kum seat to mil jati hai

Interview 8 (male 2, rush hour) Aap kyu uthe? Unhe zarurat thi, bacha tha Aap metro se kitni baar jate hai? Har roz

Apko kya lagta hai general compartment me reserved seats honi chahiye? Ladies compartment hona chahiye safety ke liye magar general coach me nhi honi chahiye. Apko kitni bar khade hon ke liya bola gya hai? Bahut bar Ladies kaise puchti hai? Zyadatak to bahut akad kar puchti hai, bilkul badhee tareeke se. Ladies ko smjhna chahiye kabhi kabhi koi beemar ho ya asia kuch magar ladies ye nhi sochti hai. App kya karte hai? Me to uth hi jata hu, chid chid karengi isliye me uth hi jata hu Kabhi jaghde hote huye dekha hai appne? Ha bahut baar

Discussion The aim of the study was to observe passengers in the metro and their seating behaviour with respect to seats reserved for women. The study was conducted in three phases. The first phase involved Descriptive Observation where the researcher tried to gain a general orientation of the field of observation. This was followed by the Focussed Observation which involved the researcher observing the target behaviour i.e. a male passenger occupying the seat reserved for women in the general compartment of the metro train. Then the researcher engaged in the final phase of the study i.e. the Participant Observation which consisted of the researcher interviewing male and female passengers on the metro. Observations in the Rush hour The rush hour observations were made on two different metro lines during the time period of 5-7 pm. Majority of the people travelling in the metro at this time were noted to be office goers. Most of the passengers travelling by the metro during this time were middle-aged both male and female. Out of the various cases that the researcher observed two of the participants who willingly offered their seats were both middle-aged too. It was observed that in a lot of cases, women were seated on the ladies only reserved seats. Another important observation was that there were a modest number of female passengers in most of the general. Also, the male passengers sitting on either the reserved seats or even those seated on the non reserved seats were quite willing to give up their seats for women especially if she seems visibly uncomfortable.

Another observation that was noted during this phase was that the female passengers were more open to asking the male passengers to vacate the reserved seats. Observations in the Non-rush hour For the non-rush observations the researcher chose the time of around 2-4 pm and these observations were also done in different metro lines. Most people who boarded the metro during this time were college students. Most of the women travelling in the general compartments were accompanied by either other male or other female friends and werent very invested in asking the fellow male passengers to vacate the reserved seats. Also, male passengers in general were not very keen on vacating the reserved seats and in spite of the presence of female passengers didnt offer them seats. In all the observations that the researcher made while observing male passengers sitting on reserved seats in the non rush hour none of the male passengers seemed keen on vacating the reserved seat. Interview of males in rush hour This phase of the study was carried out around 5-7 pm and hence, the majority of the passengers were office goers. A male passenger who was asked by a woman to vacate the reserved seat was interviewed, according to him the reason he got up was as a gesture of respect to the lady who asked him to. He also mentioned that there should be reserved seats for women in the general coach of the metro too because its something thats common to all forms of public transport like the buses. On being asked about the ladies compartment he mentioned that it was useful for guaranteeing the safety of women. Another male passenger vacated the ladies only seat for a woman carrying an infant. While being interviewed he mentioned that he got up because the woman was in need of a seat. When asked whether the general coaches should have reserved seats for ladies he replied that there shouldnt be reserved seats in the general compartment but when questioned about the ladies coach he reiterated the response of the previous participant saying that they guarantee the safety of women. He also said in his interview that women generally are very crass when asking for seats and that they dont understand that sometimes the man sitting on the reserved sit might not be well. Interview of females in rush hour The first female passenger to be interviewed was a young girl who was given a seat by a male passenger without asking as soon as she moved towards the reserved seat. When asked whether or not there should be reserved seats for women in the general compartment of the metro, she mentioned that there should be and that they are very useful especially for older women. When asked about the ladies only coach she mentioned that they are indispensable and that there should be two of them rather than one.

The second woman to be interviewed was a middle aged lady who was given a seat by a young man even before her asking him. In her interview when asked whether there should be reserved seats for women she said that there definitely should be but also acknowledged that the reservation of seats causes a lot of problems for the male passengers. When asked about the ladies coach she mentioned that there should be a ladies coach abut also mentioned that she prefers going by the general coach. Interview of males in non-rush hour The first male passenger to be interviewed when asked about what made him give up his seat said that it was because the female passenger asked him to he later added on, that if a female passenger asked him to get up he definitely would. When asked whether general coaches should have reserved seats he said that there should be reserved seats but he also mentioned that women could stand from time to time. When asked about the ladies coach he said that they are helpful especially when the metro is very crowded. Another thing he mentioned in his interview was that a lot of men get into fights with women because they dont understand what a reserved seat means. The second passenger who was interviewed was asked why he got up from the seat and he mentioned that he knew that if he didnt the female passenger would have created a scene or shouted so it was better that he got up. When asked whether there should be reserved seats for women in the general compartment he explicitly mentioned that there shouldnt. He added on to this by saying that reserving seats for the elderly or physically challenged is justified but not for women. When asked about the ladies compartment, he mentioned that the ladies compartment is should exist but again mentioned that the reserved seats in the general compartment shouldnt Interview of females in non-rush hour The first female passenger to be interviewed was a middle aged lady. When asked about whether there should be reserved seats in the general compartment for women she was all in favour of it, she also mentioned that she generally travels by the general compartment and usually doesnt need to ask for a seat male passengers are willing to give them the reserved seats. When asked about the ladies coach she said that it must be helpful but she herself doesnt know because she doesnt travel by that. The second female passenger who was interviewed when asked why she asked for the seat replied that because she was tired. She also mentioned in the interview that she very often asks for a seat when she is travelling by the general compartment. When asked whether seats should be reserved for women in the general compartment she replied that they should be but she doesnt mind standing either. When asked about the ladies compartment she replied that it is very helpful especially when its crowded and that she usually travels by the ladies compartment anyway.

Broad Inferences As far as the rush hour is concerned, certain prominent trends were noted. First being, that there were usually a considerate number of females in the general compartment. Also, the male passengers were more accommodating to females during the rush hour. They were more willing to give up their seats when asked and also volunteering to do so without being asked. In case of the non rush hour the female passengers were significantly concentrated in the ladies coach and only a few female passengers were observed in the general compartment. Also, females travelling in the general compartment were usually with a male or a female friend or group of friends. Also, the male passengers seemed more unwilling to give up their seats for the female passengers unless they explicitly asked them. Another trend that was noted was that there were some female passengers who preferred to travel in the general compartment over the ladies for a lot of reasons major among them being the nearness of the general compartment to escalators or stairs and also that there usually is a higher probability of getting a seat in the general compartment. When interviewed these women were very vocal about the need for reserved seats in the general compartment even though they acknowledged that these reserved seats sometimes cause the male passengers discomfort. But as far as the ladies coach was concerned their views on it were ambivalent, they thought that it could be helpful but were not very decided on that because they themselves didnt travel in it much. These women were mostly middle aged. In comparison to this, younger college going females were more decided on the need for the ladies coach especially during the rush hour when the metro is very crowded and they also mention that they prefer travelling by it. But, as far as the reserved seats in the general compartment were concerned they did think that they were helpful but also mentioned that they didnt really mind standing. As far as the opinion of the male passengers is concerned a prominent line of thought that was observed was that they were all in support of the female only coach as they reasoned that it guaranteed safety to the female passengers but as far as the reserved seats in the general are concerned they feel that those are unnecessary. Also, most of the men when asked whether they got up for female passengers they answered that they usually dont sit on reserved seats which was inconsistent with the fact that they were previously sitting on the reserved seats. Reflections on the method of participant observation While using the method of participant observation the most important thing that I noticed was that while interviewing people I came in contact with their opinions and their point of views regarding the issues discussed. So, this way I knew the whys and hows behind every answer that they gave.

Also, when I studied the behaviour of people while it occurred, or questioned them soon after they had engaged in a particular behaviour I felt that the participants were more insightful about their own opinion and seemed keen on expressing it. Personal reflections of the observer While making the observations as well while I was conducting the interviews a lot of my personal choices and decisions came to affect my study. The most important aspect of the observations that I feel was affected this way was the sample of people that I observed. The two important times that I conducted my observations were first, 2-3 pm in the afternoon which is around the time college students finish their classes and the second, 5-6 pm in the evening around which time most office going people. And, hence most of the data that I collected was from either college going students or office goers which isnt a very representative sample. Another important aspect that was affected was the second phase of the observation which involved interviewing participants, I personally have strong feelings against asking men sitting on a ladies reserved seat to get up so I only observed and interviewed men who were asked to get up from their seats by someone else. Also, I felt more uncomfortable interviewing men than I did the women passengers and I thought a lot about how the particular male passenger looks and would he or not be dangerous before I went ahead and interviewed them. During the entire phase of research I didnt ever feel an ethical dilemma regarding observing people without their permission or making inferences about them. That may be attributed to my own tendency to engage in such behaviour generally while travelling in a metro. Conclusion The study highlighted some major trends in the seating behaviour of male and female passengers in the metro with relevance to the ladies only reserved seats. First, that the female passengers had different preferences for either going by the general compartment or by the ladies compartment and that affected their opinions about the need for both the reserved seats for women in the general coaches as well as the ladies compartment itself. Also, the male passengers in general were more supportive of the ladies coaches rather than the reserved seats for women in the general compartment. Second, that the male passenger were in general more willing to vacate a reserved seat in the rush hour than the non rush hour but were more likely to vacate a reserved seat if asked by a female passenger. Also, it can be inferred that the purpose of the reservation of seats for women as well as the reservation of a coach for women isnt meeting its true purpose which is to sensitise male passengers towards the female passengers and make public transport more accommodating for the female passengers. On the contrary these steps have lead to the creation of a specific space for women in the public arena where they feel safe and secure.

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