Article: Pregnant commuter forced to stand

[ozbob]

From Courier Mail click here!

Pregnant commuter forced to stand

Pregnant commuter forced to stand
Article from: The Courier-Mail

By Neil Hickey

February 06, 2008 10:05am

A CLEARLY pregnant woman forced to stand on a train for 25 minutes was the victim of confusion about modern manners, a popular culture expert says.
Dr Karen Brooks said she was not surprised that the five-months pregnant Sinnamon Park woman was forced to stand on a journey from Oxley to Central Station.

Monique Worsey-Buck, 34, spent the entire trip on her feet while other younger passengers refused to give up their seats.

She told The Courier Mail she felt like fainting by the time she got off the train.

There are designated seats on trains for the elderly and disabled but not for expectant mothers.

"I was starting to feel a bit wobbly by Auchenflower and by the time we arrived at Central, I needed to find a seat very quickly ... as I was starting to feel faint," she told The Courier-Mail.

"Had I been in danger of fainting on the train I would have asked someone to stand for me.

"But surely it doesn't have to come to that.

"When I was growing up it was polite to offer your seat to an expectant mother. Please tell me it still is."

Dr Brooks said there was so much confusion about what is and isn't social protocol that many were too scared to try anything.

"It's a case of chivalry is dead long live chivalry," she said.

"People just dont know anymore. People are blaming feminism, people are blaming the attitudes of young people today but there is genuine confusion about what the boundaries of behaviour towards the opposite sex."

Dr Brooks said offering a seat to an obviously pregnant woman was not so much about manners as it was a health issue.

But she said she knew of several cases where a man had been howled down by a woman for offering to give up his seat.

"There are women who bite people's heads off when that happens because they see it as paternalistic. They feel like they're letting down the sisterhood (if they accept it).

"It's such a grey area but I think its encumbent on all of us to show manners. In this case, for people to graciously offer their seats and, if somebody doesn't want it, graciously decline the offer."

Blog click here!

[ozbob]

My comment on the blog ...

I always stand for others in need. I regularly travel on the train from Oxley to CBD. And have observed others often doing that. Once though, I offered my seat to a lady and was called a sexist! But I just ignore and still offer where and when I can.

A related problem is that it is often difficult to move in the carriage due to the congestion. I once saw some Transit Officers abandon their ticket checking attempts because of the congestion.

[Mozz]

As a regular commuter from Oxley I can add advice that the 6.54am and then again the 7.15am and 7.29am trains will generally provide commuters with the ability to grab a seat heading into the City.

The 6.54am train because the 6.44am train is generally already overcrowded as the previous train is at 6.11am and the gap being too long between drinks for commuters who need to get into the City however the 6.11am being a tad early. The 7.15am (three carriage) and 7.29 start from Darra from what I can tell and have ample seating available however they both do fill up very quickly heading into the city. The only downside to the 7.29 is that it takes 35 minutes (normally 24mins) to get into Central due to overcrowding on the down lines into the city and the need to wait for other trains to pass.

On the courtesy front, all able body people should give up seats to those who are in need of one for whatever reason.