Travel time activities: Mobility and femininities in the ladies’ compartments of the Mumbai local trains

Abstract

Activities undertaken during everyday commutes have often been studied to prove the inherent value of travel time to the commuters. Women commuters using the ladies’ compartments of the Mumbai local trains use this time to eat and share food, shop, chitchat, and watch sitcoms on their phones. Undertaken in a gender-segregated space, these activities make women’s mobility an avenue for the performance of their femininities. Thus, while the association between masculinity and mobility stands questioned, what merits enquiry is whether mobility for women is premised on their effective performance of hegemonic femininities.