The Uttar Pradesh State Women’s Commission proposed banning male tailors from taking women’s measurements and installing CCTVs in tailoring shops to prevent harassment.

• However, these measures risk reinforcing gender segregation, stigmatising professions, and infringing on privacy.

Key Recommendations of the Commission

• Only female tailors take measurements for women.
• CCTVs to be installed in tailoring shops.
• Female barbers attend to female customers in salons.

Note: The rationale behind the underlying assumption here is that usually, male involvement in these professions increases the risk of “bad touch” and molestation.

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Challenges with the Proposal

1. Economic Challenges

• Impact on Livelihoods: This could significantly harm self-employed tailors and barbers, many of whom rely on mixed customer bases and belong to lower-income groups. 
• Financial Burden on Small Businesses: Small tailoring shops and salons, already competing with larger chains, would struggle with the costs of CCTV installation and maintenance. 
  • These expenses could lead to closures or reduced service quality, exacerbating their financial strain.

2. Operational Realities in Salons and Barbershops

• Salons:
  • Gendered Services: Intimate services like waxing or hair removal are already carried out by women in private cubicles, ensuring safety and comfort for female clients.
  • Open Floor Plans: Most salons have open layouts, enabling natural supervision and reducing the likelihood of inappropriate behaviour.
• Barbers:
  • Many male barbers are conscious of the potential consequences of misconduct.
  • They fear losing their reputation, and clients, or even being forced to relocate, which ensures self-regulation and professional behaviour.

3. Social and Cultural Challenges

• Reinforcement of Segregation:
  • This reflects patriarchal ideas like the concept of “zenanas” from colonial times, which confined women to separate quarters, treating them as fragile and subordinate.
• Undermines Gender Equality:
  • Segregation perpetuates stereotypes of women needing protection and men as threats, fostering mistrust over equality and respect.

4. Privacy and Ethical Concerns

• Installing CCTVs in tailoring shops or salons risks privacy violations, especially in sensitive areas like fitting rooms or waxing cubicles, eroding customer trust.

5. Symbolic vs. Systemic Issues

• The proposal targets external spaces while ignoring systemic issues like domestic violence and harassment, the primary source of harm to women.

Way Forward

• Focus on Attitudinal Change: Sexual harassment stems from societal attitudes towards gender. 
  • Strengthening support systems like shelters, helplines, and legal aid is crucial. 
  • Focus on fostering respect, consent, and equality, rather than segregation or surveillance. 
• Breaking Stereotypes: Segregating professions and restricting male participation reinforces harmful and outdated stereotypes.
  • It suggests that women cannot manage interactions with men professionally, undermining their independence and capabilities.
• Encourage Collaboration: Create inclusive spaces for men and women to work together in professions and community activities, breaking rigid gender roles and fostering mutual understanding.

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Conclusion

The proposal to segregate professions and introduce surveillance, though aimed at protecting women, poses challenges across various domains. Hence, a better approach aimed at fostering respect, consent, and gender equality is needed to address harassment effectively.

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