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Female cab drivers recently began service for women only in Cairo, a city known by some female visitors and commuters for its harassment. As a former ex-pat and student in Cairo, I have witnessed that such harassment comes in a variety of forms often experienced at multiple times of day: kissing noises, exclamations of "Ya, gameel!" ("hey, pretty girl!"), "Ishta!" ("Cream!" supposedly a huge compliment), whistles, or penetrating stares. The auto service aims to diminish what many local and foreign women claim to be daily annoyances that can occur while walking down the street or sitting quietly in the back seats of the notoriously decrepit taxis. By providing women with the option to ride with female drivers, female customers may feel a sense of relief and even reduce the amount of haggling that usually accompanies the taxi experience in this bustling city. The service, however, is likely to produce varying results. While a temporary solution to the problem of harassment in Egypt, the question remains as to how this will have, if any, long-term effects. Does this really solve the problem or create more divisions in the genders? Will the female cab drivers feel more "empowered" in society and will this lead to other stereotypically male jobs being filled by more women? Does it change social attitudes or would altering legislation toward the issue have a more profound impact? In the mean time, some family members and women themselves may feel that they are in "safer hands". No doubt, this is an interesting way to address the issue, but if the ultimate goal is to make women in general feel comfortable in the public space and hold others accountable for their actions, only time will tell how useful the pioneering idea will be.
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