‘Scooty Girls’: Mobility and Intimacy at the Margins of Kathmandu

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe recent explosion in the number of scooters on the road in the Kathmandu Valley signifies a transformation of women's mobility. Scooters allow women to move from the back of a motorbike to the driver's seat. In a context in which most women were discouraged from leaving the house without a reason, the ability to drive oneself rather than call upon a male escort has pushed the gendered boundaries of acceptable behaviour for young women outwards, metaphorically and literally. This paper analyses young, unmarried women's newfound mobility and their capacity to drive to peripheral, ‘out-of-the-way’ places that offer respite from the bustle and pollution of the city, scenic views of the valley below, and something rarely achieved in the past – privacy. Scooters offer a way out of the policed realm of a young woman's home and neighbourhood, leading to exploration and a new space for the creation of intimacy.