Book Review

Why Loiter? Women and risk on Mumbai Streets

Authors – Shilpa Phadke, Sameera Khan and Shilpa Ranade

Date of Publication – 2011

Penguin Publication

No. of pages – 205

Submitted to

Dr. Smita Bammidi, Faculty Supervisor, College of Social Work Nirmala Niketan

Mr. Harish Sadani, MAVA

Submitted on
6th December 2020

Submitted by
Benedict Antony MSW I
Jefina Thomas MSW II
 BACKGROUND

In the early 2000s, from September 2003 to September 2006, three women researchers
conducted a survey among the women living in Mumbai to study about women’s access to
public space in Mumbai as part of a research project titled ‘Gender and Space project’ at the
urban research collective, Partners for Urban Knowledge Action and Research (PUKAR).
Later on, the data formed a basis for a revolutionary book titled ‘Why Loiter? Women and
Risk on Mumbai Streets’ that was published in 2011. The book focuses on why young girls
and woman should make efforts to loiter aimlessly, at all times of the day and in the night and
thereby claim the city, the entry to whose public space is controlled by men or women in
families, police, educational, Govt., workplace and other social institutions. Authors Shilpa
Phadke (Media and communication studies), Sameera Khan (Journalist) and Shilpa Ranade
(architect) belong to different fields of expertise and have tried to explain their point of view
through the experiences they have gained individually in their personal lives and careers,
which is very thought altering.

The authors of the book have used an expository style of writing while narrating the varied
experiences and recorded responses of women encountered as part of the study in the course
of their discussions. The use of definitions and arguments for explaining, clarifying as and
when needed makes the book all the more comprehensive in its content. The book has
sparked off the Pinjra Tod movement in Delhi and other cities, where young girls and women
in hostels realized they have their movements controlled as well as whom they meet/what
they do, as a control on their chastity, in absence of their parents/guardians. Young women
called that it is their right to free themselves of these ‘jails of benevolent patriarchy’ and be
outside when and where and for what they please. The book questions what women really
want to do with their lives, without being bound by patriarchal norms and reach their full
potential. It is also a must read for men and those of non-binary genders.

 REVIEW AND CRITICAL QUESTIONS RAISED

The question in the title of the book ‘Why Loiter?’ itself, challenges the reader to uncover a
wholly new perspective. The answer to objectifying of women, rape culture, inequal gender
socialization, pushing them to private spaces of society, gender-based violence are all
obtained in questioning denial of right to all public spaces by women. This initial trigger that
sets the reader thinking is used by the authors for gradually bringing out the core idea of the
book i.e. that women have the right to access all public spaces, free of restrictions, male gaze,
dress code, permission, interrogation, violence, time limit and a purpose. And when women
by themselves at first recognize their right to take risks and spend some time aimlessly with
other women in parks or open spaces loitering, they propose that, women would be able to
eventually reclaim their right to ‘safer’ public spaces by normalizing their presence, by
popularizing the trend, by questioning why it shouldn’t be so, by bringing back something
that is organic for human beings- being out in the open without any explanation or apology.
The book is grounded in the feminist perspective of our times that affirms equality of all
genders, and therefore women, in particular, as equal to men at all levels. Going further, the
authors challenge the meanings attached to the notions of risk, safety, modernity and
citizenship.

This book states that our society fails to be inclusive for women at different levels. To agree
upon this idea the authors have spoken about the lives of women from different classes,
religions and castes in Mumbai where each woman leads a pole apart life under the same sky.
Moreover, their lifestyle varies from one location to another within the city limits. Mumbai is
said to be one of the safest and modern cities across the country. But is it really safe for
women?

If it was, then no women would be asked to reach home before the assigned time, no hostels
in Mumbai would be having a curfew and none of the women would be carrying a pepper
spray, or safety pins. Still, one will find women taking the risk and being out there going to
college, going for work, taking public transport, going to clubs and shopping malls and so on.
Furthermore, the authors of the book take a step further to ask whether the city is safe for
women to have fun, for spending time in open spaces. Women are fearless, when a girl tries
to fly and recognize her needs and wants, the society asks her to fold her wings and use her
feet instead because women are expected to fit into a character which is standard according to
the social norms. The perception of a good woman is ridiculously absurd in this society,
anything which a woman enjoys is taken away from her. Women are burdened with all
restrictions and are forced to forget who they want to be. A small shrewd of bravery or
courage from a woman makes her a ‘tomboy.’ When will this behaviour change? Qualities
and skills can be possessed by any gender. Our women enjoy the pleasure of this city at risk.
What is making them feel so unsafe? And why no one is doing anything to make her feel safe
and accommodated? Right from her likes, dislikes, clothes, profession, places she visits, her
sexual identity is monitored and questioned by the society.
Right to public spaces in a privilege possessed by all genders. The authors of the book have
limited themselves in grounding their stance to argue just for the rights of women to public
spaces. Probably by doing so, they have tried to give emphasis to the issue with respect to
women and taken it up as a humble attempt to claim the rights of women to public spaces.
However, its high time, to broaden our minds further still, to shed away all fear and stand tall
to defend the rights of all genders and to let free access to public spaces be available for all
equally and not just for men.

The book Why Loiter is extremely inspiring as it motivates women to claim the city and
enjoy every inch of it. We would strongly recommend this book as a must read for men and
women alike as it urges the reader, especially women for taking time to go outdoors to spend
time alone or with others in the open and spaces usually restricted such as pan shops, chai
points, movie halls, parks, beaches, anywhere, or with other women as a step towards
reclaiming their right to public spaces.

 WHAT THE BOOK PROGRESSIVELY COVERS

In the first part of the book titled, ‘City Limits,’ the authors describe how with regard to
safety of women it has been particularly their sexual safety that the society has been
concerned with. The society has labelled ‘good’ women as those who are confined more to
their private spaces not lingering on the streets or public spaces. Women by conforming to
gender narratives scripted for them with regard to access to public spaces have only
reinforced them. This has been further elaborated in the second part titled ’Everyday spaces.’
It describes how women not accessing public spaces in conforming to the societal norm that
women are not meant to access public spaces reinforces it further. And venture into these
spaces is prevented by acts of violence or sexualized violence on young girls and women to
set an example of what happens if they do so. Media highlights this and seals the ‘terror’ it is
supposed to create in women and the families rather than questioning why the boys or men
violated the woman, irrespective of where she is, what she wore, at what time and purpose of
her being there. Rape culture is in a way sanctioned for female species of all ages if they were
not in a protected private space. Young girls and women who have been trained forever to be
submissive and gentle are said to be unable to defend themselves while men in their life are
supposed to protect them. These messages behind this non entry of women into public spaces
has to be squashed. The ownership of women as objects to be safeguarded and male gender
as the defenders of defenseless women is a disservice to both the genders!
The third part of the book ‘In Search of Pleasure’, exposes the fact that the society has only
been concerned of the elite and middle-class women and neglected the concerns of women of
lower sections in making resources and services of the society available to them. However, it
highlights how the society’s moral policing of women’s activities and legitimized restrictions
on their mobility leaves women with least time for leisure and fun unless they demand for it.
It also analyses and deconstructs the prevailing assumption that women belonging to the city
of Mumbai are experiencing greater freedom to have fun to see to what extent it is true. This
space is even more limited and subjected to scrutiny. Imagine young women having chai,
eating in abandon, laughing over jokes, spending time with a male, or God forbid, smoking or
purchasing alcohol!

The final part ‘Imagining Utopias’ describes how, in order to break these stereotypes, women
need to be ambitious enough to demand for their right to access public spaces taking the risk
to spend more time occasionally in public spaces encouraging other women to join them. The
authors imagine that more women would join in groups to occupy parks and other public
spaces in the city. This seems as an ever harder and unattainable aspect of women’s
reclaiming of public spaces. Nevertheless, wherever more and more women understand the
reason for urging for this and participate consciously, it will bring in a movement.

 REFLECTIONS

Men are just out there everywhere, anytime, but hardly any women can be there at public
spaces after a particular time. Why should there be such a huge difference? It’s the right of
the women to access these public spaces anytime. Why are young girls and women made to
feel they are ‘protected’ by families, police, government policies, institutions by removing
them from a public space and returned to the private space? And then, by giving them an
incentive of being a ‘good girl’, ‘good woman’ for subscribing to that at the cost of her
freedom and free will, why is such a behaviour of withdrawing from public spaces reinforced
on them? When a man gets involved in any issues like eve teasing, stalking, mental, physical
and sexual assault, no much explanation is asked from them; shamelessly they will be
excused for that act as it will be considered as a part of masculinity. But the same home as
well as the societal community asks innumerable questions about how she provoked the man
to do it to her? Its a senseless question which is asked by the society because since the ancient
civilization women are being suppressed and questioned for anything and everything. Do you
think such interrogation happens only during such episodes? Well, a girl is asked about her
whereabouts, a woman is asked about her worth during marriage and moreover if the children
face any issue, still the mother would be questioned first because it’s always considered as
the responsibility of a woman to take care of the house.

Life in the city has changed inevitably, there are many political ideology clashes among the
citizens which has made the city unsafe for specific religious groups and communities. While
communal clashes give rise to many stereotypes towards a particular group, it is not
surprising that women are the one who suffer the most during such situations. It is nailed that
women should be protected, whereas men should be allowed to enjoy greater freedom,
mobility and access to public spaces. Nonetheless, women do not need protection. Neither
should they be treated as the most vulnerable group. Women face extreme exclusion based on
gender, class and religion. A woman from a ghetto is treated different from the one who owns
a flat in a prime location. It doesn’t end there - a Muslim woman and a Hindu woman from
same ghetto is looked upon differently by our society. Its a stereotype that only the lower
middle- class women are in need for protection and safety, Violence does not occur in same
type of household. It can happen with any women at any situation. Its high time to let go of
such a mindset.

The city is designed by men for men, there is no place for women. A city without wall is
inhabited by men but when a wall is constructed then understand that it is built to protect the
women and children. Construction of such place is carried out so carelessly that women still
choose to hold her urine till she reaches home. Using a public restroom is a nightmare unless
it’s a five-star hotel or a shopping mall. The so-called modern city lacks all the necessary
amenities in public places. Women get surprised when they see baby changing stations, pad
dispensers in a washroom whereas they shouldn’t be surprised to see these things in public
places. These are necessities which should have been there from the inception of the city.

Our society has turned out to be a big mess where the citizens are categorized in a million
ways. But for what? Do we really need this categorization to be a part of a society? This
social exclusion of women from public places proves that patriarchal thoughts still prevail in
India, consciously and even subconsciously. The society should be safe and accommodating
to all human beings. It should be welcoming and let people live as per their need. Mumbai is
developing rapidly. But even today, if a woman has to think twice before applying a bold
lipstick or a short skirt then where did the progress and development got drained?
The access to public places is only for the privileged class or else they wouldn’t be asking for
entry fees which is said to be used for maintenance. Public places should be accessed for free.
People from all walks of life should enjoy open air and jogging paths.

It is high time women realize and believe that they have their space and right in the society
much to the like of men on an equal level. The thought that comes to mind is the amount of
emotional and psychological struggle and resistance that women have had to put up in the
past when women started to reclaim their rights to private spaces by taking up jobs for the
running of their families, thus taking the risks to access private spaces just as their male
counterparts in order in usher in a culture where the male and female gender roles are not in a
way dissected or differentiated but intertwined and intermingled in the private spaces: E.g.
The husband in the family needs to take it as an opportunity to help out in the household
chores just as readily as their wife does it in her absence. In the same way as when women
have come up to work in the society to take the risk to do jobs at par with men, men also need
to come forward to learn to do household works as much as women. In the book, this
argument is taken further for reclaiming public spaces for women. It surely motivates women
to take the risk to spend time in public spaces. By taking time out to spend some leisure time
with other women in groups loitering through public parks and spaces more and more,
through their bodily presence they could bring it to the notice of the society that it is normal
to go outdoors rather than stay protected and safeguarded indoors. This could slowly bring in
a shift in the minds of people living in the society deeply coloured by patriarchal norms that
considers it improper for women to be occupying public spaces without any specific purpose.
In other words, the authors of the book wish to bring out the idea that when women take the
risk to loiter, they are claiming their rights to public places in the city.

 INSIGHTS GAINED AND ACTIONS SOUGHT FOR CHANGE

As a woman accessing a public place is not easy, especially when it is dominated by men.
The infrastructure of the city has been cruelling to all women and other communities. It has
been beneficial for specific groups as correctly mentioned in the book.

Everyone talks about women’s safety but it’s very rare to see a rule laid on those who are
making this city unbearable and unsafe for the women. The laws and regulations should be
updated at least in every decade, rather than waiting till a new case of manhandling, abuse
and violence or a rape case is brough in to light. The places which we visit for our own
benefit is in a way a private space; yet women are barely given a safe space to explore the
public spaces which is majorly occupied by the men.

It is the need of the hour that women, men and people of all genders embolden themselves to
come to value one’s own self as a human being, respecting oneself in the process of valuing
others including women and people of other genders as equal to themselves. Going further,
men need to be educated and trained right from home to strive for higher ethical standards, to
leave the clutches of patriarchy in order to value and respect people of all genders just like
themselves not being satisfied only with receiving respect for themselves as men. By
focusing on building up one’s courage to stand strong on one’s own feet would help to steer
through all the immanent struggles or difficulties that one may have to face to take risks to
establish one’s dignified place in the society and to work towards shredding away those traits
within us that have made us victims of the vicious circle of patriarchy. It is time that not only
women, as the book recommends, but also all other genders begin to take efforts individually
and collectively through small yet bold steps to spend time in public spaces in order to
reclaim their rights for the same.