Inside Race2: Issues of Gender Inequality Raised

As hype intensifies for this year’s Race2 Madrid—a Charities Campaign-sponsored hitchhiking race across Europe—some all-female teams are finding themselves in a position that is all too common for the girls of St Andrews: they need a man. Yes, it is a hard and fast rule of this competition that all teams, whether of two or three people, need at least one male team member for “reasons of safety,” as cited in the Students’ Association’s guidelines for the event.  It seems the Students’ Association has deemed that we live in a world where it is dangerous for women to traverse Europe unaccompanied by at least one male (without taking into account the size, strength, or savvy of the man in question—there are some guys around here who I’m fairly sure could do nothing to protect me). While most teams work to comply with the regulations, understanding that the Students’ Association and Charities Campaign hold everyone’s safety and well-being first and foremost, I have heard some occasional gender inequality-related grumbling surrounding the issue. Has the Students’ Association implemented this rule as a result of real evidence or incidents? Or are they being overly cautious, and highlighting perceptions of gender that may not actually ring true?

A Second Year who participated in last year’s Race2 Berlin described a particular incident where she felt that her male partner definitely had a hand in keeping her safe. “We were standing pretty far apart on a road, so that we could attract people at different points – and a creepy, dirty guy came up to me on the street and pointed to my sign and started going ‘I can take you there!’ I was like, great! And then I called for [my teammate] from down the street, and… [he] caught up to us by the time we got to a parking lot, and the guy went super pale. And then I looked and saw this beat up car with a guy in the driver’s seat, an open passenger seat, and two giant dudes in the back with an open middle seat… definitely sketchy. The guy sprinted into the passenger seat where [the driver] started yelling at him and they sped off.” She added, “The guy I was traveling with was not particularly threatening… [but] I don’t think they would’ve had that reaction if it was me and another girl.”

Individual opinions and experiences aside, the Students’ Association has been running Race2 in its current format for ten years, managing to keep everyone safe while they engage in an activity that is not exactly risk-free. Additionally, I can personally attest to the social benefits of this whole man-finding thing: last year, a friend and I frantically scoured our lists of male acquaintances in search of a teammate for Jailbreak (Race2’s lesser-known springtime cousin). Although we did not end up going, the guy we eventually picked (after the stressful Facebook stalking of a multitude of profiles) consequently became one of our very good friends. Had we gone, we probably would have become even better friends, as I imagine that trekking through a snow-covered Europe while trying desperately to hail transportation from people who may or may not speak your language creates lasting and unbreakable bonds between people. (As grim as that might sound, I’m actually super keen for this year’s race… Madrid will definitely be warmer than Scotland!) So, girls, even if you aren’t thrilled about the male requirement, I encourage you to take this opportunity to reach out to your academic brother, cousin, father, classmate, or just your average rando, and do something really cool (no pun intended) for charity this January.

Image courtesy of http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Worldwide_Gender_Inequality.tif