Summary
In Cuba, women commuters beat the unreliable bus systems and have started hitchhiking for rides along the busy roads. Many people don't have cars or bikes to use, and instead of paying for a taxi or being crammed in a bus, the women simply smile and hop into any car that has vacancy. Havana, the country's capital, may have great public safety, but where the Communist-run country lacks is public transportation. According to the article, the busses are always packed and always hot. To avoid the crammed and sweltering bus system, the women look towards the roads. There is a dynamic to looking for rides; single male drivers, with a state owned vehicles is preferred , two men is even nice, and one woman says you have to be careful when dealing with a couple because you don't want to make someone jealous.
Analysis
Hitchhiking has been around for a long time, although it is not so widely used in America as much. However, what makes this article interesting is the fact that these are women who are getting themselves out there to get where they need to be. When you look at a hitchhiker on the road in the US you don't usually see a woman walking by herself looking for a ride, you mostly see men. There is a fear associated with women traveling by themselves, but in Cuba this doesn't seem to exist, especially with the strong security the government provides. Also, because it is mostly men who are driving and picking these women up, it gives the impression they use their sexuality more to help them along the way; smiling and leaning into the cars to chat with the drivers.
http://www.npr.org/2011/09/02/140047235/in-cuba-women-often-prefer-thumbing-a-ride
1 comment:
Women should not do this on a regular basis because some with get taken away by male drivers and some could be hurt. In either situation it is not the smartest idea to get in a vacant car in Cuba.
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