Chinese Airports Are Designating A Separate Security Line For Women

Image courtesy of Karen Horton

While we here in America argue over seemingly unending security lines at our nation’s airports, there’s another discussion going on in China over airport security, now that women have a separate lane designated for their use only.

The authorities in charge of China’s airports have decided women need their own line because they say women don’t want to be frisked by men. Hence, the new women-specific lines at Beijing Capital International Airport has only women screeners, reports The New York Times.

The government also says women have bags of personal products that need to be opened and inspected, which takes more time, a security guard told state media. That’s perhaps an implication that women are slowing down the lines for men, with their unfussy luggage.

Can’t find those women-only lanes? Just look for bright pink signs reading “Female Only” in Chinese and English.

Some say the policy is right on cue, echoing what they point to as a countrywide shift back toward paternalistic customs. Others, including some women, seem to have no problem with the separate treatment, as they say the lines move faster than the unisex versions.

China Offers Airport Security for Women, and Their Makeup [The New York Times]

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