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Those Brits haven't been living up to their polite stereotype, according to a recent article in the Daily Mail, with commuters not offering up their seats to pregnant women. The reason? Apparently, curves are confusing. It's unclear whether a woman is pregnant or just plain overweight, and rather than risk offending, people are staying put.
The article cites two surveys recently conducted in the U.K., which have found that men (and women, in fact) rarely offer their seats to expectant mothers, who are very likely to be suffering from some kind of ailment, whether it's a backache, swelling or just the irritation of carrying around an extra 30-plus pounds of weight in the sweltering heat.
One survey from parenting website Gurgle, which interviewed over 1,000 pregnant women in their final trimester, found that more than four in five pregnant women (84 percent) had been made to stand on public transportation. Meanwhile, baby charity Tommy's also came to the conclusion (using separate research) that a majority of mothers-to-be were rarely being offered seats.
What's going on here? Has gallantry plunged even further into the abyss, or are people genuinely confused and mortified to mistake a bigger belly for a baby?
Nifa McLaughlin, editor of Gurgle, told the Mail, "It is ridiculous that the health of young mums is being put at risk because of embarrassment. We've all been in that awkward situation, but we would encourage commuters to swallow their pride and offer their seats. It is worth risking a red face if it ensures that a pregnant woman is able to complete a crowded rush hour journey safely."
To ease the confusion, the website has launched a Baby on Board campaign, providing pins for pregnant women to wear and encouraging them to speak up for their right to sit down. Now, we'd be interested in the results of that survey ...
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Tuesday 15 June
By Jax
It's quite simple, if a person has a disability where they are in need of a seat they should ask for one. Why are we only questioning the pride or embarrassment of those who just want to sit back and relax during their ride? Not all pregnant women are at the point where a seat is required and sometimes those seats can be of more use to someone with a non temporary disability. As well however I do think it is a good idea for badges to be made available for those who are in need of a seat. Not just pregnant women but also the elderly or even those who are stricken with sometimes a non-obvious disability at a young age.
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Tuesday 15 June
By Dew
I can't believe it's an issue of people being concerned over embarrassment. People are just plain rude and uncaring. They don't give up seats for the elderly, the disable, pregnant women or even parents carrying children. I've seen young mothers and fathers alike left standing on crowded trains and buses, struggling to stay upright while balancing a toddler in their arms. I was raised to believe that seats are for people who need them, whatever the reason.
Besides of which, I've never personally mistaken an overweight woman for a pregnant woman, and can't believe anyone else would. Weight is carried all over - a bun in the oven is in a very particular place!
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Thursday 17 June
By Lauren
I live in the South, and I used to take public transportation daily. I rarely had to stand on the bus because most Southern men will offer their seats to a woman, ESPECIALLY if she has young children, is elderly, or is just especially tired-looking. I understand that some people think of the standard etiquette of my region as being sexist, but pregnant women here don't stand on buses.
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Thursday 17 June
By Al
If you want to know why people , especially men, don't offer seats to women anymore , pregnant or other wise, just stop and think! Women are equals!
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Thursday 17 June
By Al
I'm an old guy who grew up when chivalry was still looked on as a plus. Once in the 80's I had accompanied two women to a business lunch. When we got back to the car I opened the car door for each of them and was promptly reprimanded. Now I don't go out of my way to offer women any courtesy I wouldn't offer to a man in the same circumstance.
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Friday 18 June
By Maggoo
This only works works with women you see often. When a woman becomes pregnant, her breasts increase in size.
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Friday 18 June
By Corrinne
To the person who said it is easy to tell if someone is pregnant- not necessarily. Yes, if a woman is somewhat slender otherwise and has a protruding tummy, it is obvious. But I have heard a LOT of stories about this specific embarrassment. And generally, people put on weight differently. I happen to put weight on in my hips and thighs, but not my stomach. Some people I know though can have skinny little stick legs and quite large tummys.
I'm not trying to be mean AT ALL. I am far from a tooth pick. But it CAN be hard to tell at times.
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Saturday 19 June
By A-chan
I'm living in Japan right now, and I like the system they have here. Pregnant women can go to any train station office and receive a sort of "baby-on-board" keychain to clip to their purses so people know to give up their seats on the train. This is particularly helpful because Japanese women don't usually show a baby bump until the latter months of their pregnancy (I couldn't tell when one of my co-workers was pregnant until she was 7 months along).
Especially in Tokyo, where people are much less likely to give up their seats to the elderly/pregnant, these badges seem to be working well. I've seen a significant increase in people giving up their seats after seeing them. I think all cities that rely on mass transit should at least give this system a try.
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Saturday 19 June
By SabraO
Like Lauren, I live in the South, so it's a non-issue. Which is lucky for me, as I'm one of those pregnant women who a) doesn't show until pretty late in the game (I'm overweight to begin with, and people see what they expect to see, so when I'm waddling along at 9 months pregnant, most folks just assume I'm even fatter than normal), b) needs to sit down before she starts to show and c) until very recently rode nine buses a day. (As in, if I don't sit down there's a very good chance I'll pass out if I have to stand up too long.) My only issue this pregnancy has been dealing with dirty looks when I don't offer my seat to someone seemingly more in need.
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