Abstract
In large metro areas such as Jakarta, Bogor, Tangerang, and Bekasi, the electric train (KRL) is a popular means of transportation because it runs quickly and on time despite being crowded. To help prevent the sexual harassment of female passengers, some KRL carriages are designated specifically for women. This study examines differences in female KRL passengers’ anxiety about sexual harassment in mixed carriages and women-only carriages on the Bogor–Jakarta route (n = 100) and Bekasi – Jakarta route (n = 110), using the Anxiety About Sexual Harassment Scale (Leitenberg & McNeil, 1990; Dacey, 2000). Significant differences in anxiety about sexual harassment were found among women who rode in women-only versus mixed carriages on the Bogor–Jakarta route but not on the Bekasi–Jakarta route. However, in general, participants who rode women-only carriages had higher anxiety than those who rode mixed carriages. This finding was confirmed by interviews with 35 female passengers (7 from the Bogor–Jakarta route, 28 from the Bekasi–Jakarta route). Some women expressed a preference for riding mixed cars because male passengers made room for them to enter or exit the cars and offered them seats. Meanwhile, some participants reported not choosing women-only carriages because the other passengers behaved aggressively.
Highlights
In large metro areas such as Jakarta, Bogor, Tangerang, and Bekasi, the electric train (KRL) is a popular means of transportation because it runs quickly and on time despite being crowded
Karliana and Prabowo (2014) found recognition of the perpetrators of sexual harassment was related to the harassment they had committed on the Bogor–Jakarta route
Female passengers in women-only carriages felt more anxious than female passengers in mixed carriages
Summary
The participants were female passengers on the KRL train on the Bogor–Jakarta and Bekasi– Jakarta routes. Each train consists of eight carriages, two of which are women-only cars. Each carriage has a capacity of 134 passengers. The research sample was obtained by a purposive sampling technique. Participants were selected who had the following characteristics: a female passenger who had been actively using the KRL for at least six months. We use the Anxiety About Sexual Harassment Scale (Leitenberg & McNeil in Leitenberg, 1990; Dacey, 2000), which includes 46 items (30 favorable items and 16 unfavorable items). The scale consists of three components, namely, cognition, behavior, and physiological responses. Five response choices are given for each item: Strongly agree, Agree, Neutral, Disagree, and Strongly disagree.
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