The Everyday Cost of Simply Existing

It’s 11:15 p.m. in South Delhi. I’ve just said goodbye to friends after dinner.
The metro has shut for the night, so I open my phone and start the familiar ritual —
book a cab from a “trusted” app, share my live location, text my family the driver’s details, keep pepper spray close, and double-check the route.

By the time I reach home, my fare has doubled.
My body is safe, but my heartbeat still hasn’t slowed.

This is what women around the world silently pay every day — the “safety tax.”

It’s not an official tax, but an invisible cost women bear to feel secure in a world that wasn’t designed for them.

What Is the Safety Tax?

The safety tax refers to the extra money, time, and mental energy women spend to protect themselves from potential harm.
It’s the premium women pay for existing safely — whether it’s a higher rent in a safer neighborhood, a late-night cab fare, a women-only hostel, or the cost of personal safety tools.

Every woman pays it differently:

• In Mumbai, it’s choosing an expensive apartment closer to work to avoid late commutes.
• In Bengaluru, it’s skipping social plans because public transport stops early.
• In Delhi, it’s choosing cabs over walking — even when the street has CCTV cameras.

Across cities, the pattern is the same: women adjust, accommodate, and pay their way through unsafe systems.

When Safety Becomes a Luxury

Safety is a human right — yet it often functions like a luxury service.
Women spend more on:

• Late-night rides or verified cab apps
• Women-only spaces and gated communities
• Extra phone data for location-sharing
• Fitness classes or gyms with “safe hours”

But the burden doesn’t fall equally.
A domestic worker walking home at night faces far greater risks than a corporate employee booking a cab — but both are asking the same silent question:
“How much will safety cost me tonight?”

According to Greenpeace India’s “Riding the Justice Route” report, nearly 75% of women in Delhi feel unsafe using public transport after dark. Despite this, most cities are still designed with the “default male user” in mind — poor lighting, broken pavements, inaccessible public toilets, and little consideration for women’s mobility or safety needs.

The Psychological Cost of Vigilance

The safety tax is not just financial — it’s psychological.
Every “text me when you reach home” is a reminder of a world where women must always stay alert.

Women develop mental checklists that run silently in the background:

Don’t walk alone.
Keep your keys in hand.
Don’t wear this at night.
Avoid eye contact.
Sit near other women in the cab.

This constant hypervigilance is emotional labour — unpaid, unrecognised, and exhausting.
It drains energy, limits spontaneity, and quietly shapes how women move through life.

As one young professional put it, “I don’t think I’ve ever travelled anywhere without scanning for the child lock first.”
Safety becomes a reflex — and that’s its own kind of fatigue.

Safety by Design: From Personal Burden to Public Responsibility

Experts agree that women shouldn’t have to pay for safety — systems should provide it.

Real change begins when cities and governments design spaces that protect everyone, not just those who can afford private solutions.
That means:

• Well-lit streets and public spaces
• Reliable, gender-sensitive public transport
• Inclusive urban planning that recognises mobility as a gendered issue
• Better policing and accountability at the local level

Technology — from live tracking to SOS features — can help, but it’s not enough.
When apps and companies market “safety” as a premium service, they’re essentially monetising a failure of public infrastructure.

The Emotional Price of Freedom

Every woman knows the silent mental math of safety.
It starts young — choosing what to wear, when to go out, whether to speak up when followed, or when to stay silent.

Each of these “micro-decisions” is a transaction between freedom and fear — a trade women make daily without realising it.

And that’s what makes the safety tax so insidious.
It’s not only about money spent, but about opportunities lost — jobs not taken, trips cut short, nights ended early.
The cost of safety becomes the cost of ambition, mobility, and peace of mind.

Who Should Pay the Safety Tax?

The truth is, women already have — with time, money, and mental health.
It’s time for cities, systems, and institutions to pick up the bill.

Safety isn’t a product women should buy; it’s a public guarantee society must provide.

Until then, every woman who texts, “Reached home safe,” will carry the weight of a system that makes her responsible for her own survival.

Because in a world built for men, women’s safety still comes with a surcharge.

• safety tax women
• women’s safety in India
• gender and urban design
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• feminist economics India
• women mobility and public transport
• Delhi women safety statistics
• SheMatters women’s rights articles