So – after 6 weeks and 3 requests, I’m STILL waiting for my Baby on Board badge from Transport for London (TfL).
For those of you who don’t know, TfL provide free Baby on Board badges for pregnant mothers, the idea being that it stops us from having to ask for a seat, and fellow passengers don’t have to play the “is she fat or pregnant?” game. In other words, a Baby on Board badge is a convenient way of shaming selfish passengers into giving up their seat for you on the Underground.
It’s always really interesting to observe which people are likely to offer you a seat, and which ones absolutely won’t. Obviously, it’s very easy to ignore people on the tube – I’ve done it myself – engrossed in a book or magazine, everyone can be blocked out. But it is frustrating when you see people look at you, and then hide behind their newspaper as if they didn’t notice you.
So who are the worst offenders? Is it the ASBO-collecting youths, with their hoodies, and loud MP3 players? Not at all. Generally speaking, the sort of people you think would never give up their seats are the ones that do. The very worst are older men, the kind that wear suits and look as if they work in the City. My husband reckons this is because they are of a generation where pregnant women didn’t really travel in rush hour (presumably too busy enjoying their Confinement reading Catherine Cookson novels or something), so they don’t know how to react. Even if this is true, it’s an appalling excuse, but I think he may be quite close to the mark. To make another sweeping generalisation about this group of people, it could be linked to the fact that they believe that, if we women want to get pregnant, but still continue to work and travel on the tube as normal, then we should be prepared to put up with all that entails, including having to stand for the whole of the journey. It could of course, be neither of those things – they may just happen to be the rudest. The next worst group seems to be women under 25. And no, I don’t have the remotest idea why – all theories welcome.
Who are the most generous then? Well, I’d say men aged 20-40, (the age range most likely to be expectant fathers), closely followed by men in their late teens.
But what about the women? What about sympathy from the sisterhood? Apart from the under-25s briefly mentioned above, the reactions from women vary wildly. Some are quick to offer their seat, some deliberately refuse.
I’ve now started playing a game – how many stops will I have to travel before someone gives up their seat? According to a survey carried out in 2005, the average stops a pregnant women in London has to travel before this happens is 5. I’m doing better than that, so I should be pleased really, but I think the Central Line is one of the more courteous lines on the tube network.
It will be interesting to see whether things improve with the wearing of my badge. I doubt it, but will keep you posted – if it ever arrives….
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