The cities of India might be designed based on the idea of modernisation, but not on the idea of gender equity. The infrastructure of the city does not provide for enough clean female toilets, subsidised women’s transport and other women-only mobility options. This restricts a female from accessing the city, in a similar manner to men.
Improving Access: Top Companies
Access to the city is unequal for men and women. While women have to fight a long battle to come out of their houses into public spaces, their existence outdoors is also not very secure. Problems of safety, sanitation and character judgement in public spaces are hard to contend for a woman.
These five brands help women to have a better experience in the outdoors. These companies, other than making a profit, also have a unique idea that revolutionise women mobility in the public space.
1. PeeSafe Urination Cone:
Because of the problem of poor sanitation and the unavailability of toilets in public spaces, women restrict their movement in the city. While on periods, the problem of not finding a suitable toilet can become more serious. Inaccessibility of toilets in the city also affects the participation of women in field jobs like journalism, taxi driving, armed forces, etc. PeeSafe, a company conceptualised by Srujana Bagaria, came up with products that help women pee safely in public.
In 2013, the company innovated toilet seat sanitiser spray which was immediately accepted by a lot of women as a quick solution to avoid UTI. Later, the company went on to create a urination cone that can allow women to pee while standing. This helps them avoid dirty toilet seats and open spaces. Recently, the company has pushed trials for their next product: a disposable panty. All these products aim at creating health safety for women in public.
2. Yuvanta Beaded Bra Strap:
For ages, Women have been asked to camouflage their bra straps to come out as a decent Indian in public. There has been not even a single woman who has not been asked to conceal her bra strap by an elderly, or even a colleague. Showing off a brass strap is considered to be a wardrobe malfunction that a woman of dignity would never allow with herself. This prejudice was completely shattered in 2012, when a female entrepreneur, Sneha Praben founded Yuvanta Bra Strap Company, created a company that manufactures beaded bra straps. These straps are both fashionable and comfortable. They can be attached to any regular bra to convert it from an average innerwear into an accessory, which a woman can wear in public with confidence. The company has also launched #ShowYourTrap to fight public stigma around visible bra straps. This also empowers women to decide their clothing as per their will, even when in public.
3. Heyday:
For many women across the country, periods are the most difficult times of the month because of rashes, cramps, and overflow. Many start-ups and companies in India have created innovative products to help women be outdoors even while on their periods. One such company is Heyday, founded by a female called Deepanjali Kanoria in 2017. Other than manufacturing lightweight and comfortable sanitary pads for Women to use while juggling their day outdoors, there is something more unique about its products. The sanitary pads manufactured by the company are made from the fibres of corn and bamboo. This makes the pad hundred per cent biodegradable and eco-friendly. In this way, disposal of sanitary pads also becomes easy for garbage collectors. Heyday pads solve the twin problem of good quality sanitary pads and menstrual waste managment. The start-up made its way to the Forbes Under 30 list in Asia and India. The company is also well known for its collection of organic and biodegradable newborn diapers, sanitary pads, and menstrual cups.
4. Nari Care:
Everything seems under control when a woman has delivered her baby in the hospital and is receiving care from family and relatives. But the real problem starts when a new mother resumes her work. Many young women face problems in breastfeeding their children after returning tired from the office. The same was faced by Gayathri Kanumuri, who conceived the idea of Nari Care in 2022. This Visakhapatnam-based start-up offers one-on-one consultation with a lactation specialist. The specialist guides a woman about her lactating cycles and alternatives to breastfeeding her children, even while she is not around them. The aim of the company is also to create a community of mothers. The start-up provides multiple services to both pregnant as well as lactating mothers in the form of consultations, follow-up medical chats, community-based WhatsApp groups, courses on lactation, etc. Kanumuri’s start-up, which was conceived at IIM Bangalore, is on a mission to revolutionise safe and correct forms of breastfeeding for mothers out to work.
5. Himmat App (Uber):
Online cab services are very popular amongst metropolitan women in India. But this does not shut down their apprehensions around safe travel, especially during the night. This apprehension is because of the many recent cases reported against cab drivers and Taxiwala, who take advantage of women’s singularity at night. And so to battle this, the Delhi Police in collaboration with Uber, launched an app called ‘Himmat’. Using this platform, registered users can notify the police in case of emergencies at any location and time. In the times when almost all forms of public transport come with some percentage of risk for women, technology-based solutions can help pick out culprits using real-time location and and panic button installation. Given the huge power provided to consumers through technology and innovation, online mobility companies should come forward to ensure gender equity and safety in transport. Taking this example, women’s safety can be further strengthened by strong collaboration between state authorities and private companies, like Uber.
