In the months since a gruesome gang rape riveted India, a "women-only" culture has been on the rise, with Indians increasingly seeking out women-only buses, cabs, travel groups and hotel floors.
One city is preparing to open a women-only park. And in November, the government is launching a women-only bank that it hopes will empower women financially.
In a country where reported sexual violence is increasing — despite increased attention to the problem — many say the women-only spaces are a welcome refuge from lewd looks, groping and unwanted male attention. The concept appeals to women across a broad spectrum of society, including a 60-year-old named Sarita, who recently traveled to New Delhi from a village in Maharashtra by train and said she still had to squabble with male passengers who tried to sit next to her in the women's coach. "It's the ways of men," Sarita said. "They're not good. How can we co-exist?"