Back of the bus

I noticed something over the past few weeks.  The seats in the front half of the bus have substantially more legroom than the ones at the back.  I know in Jerusalem, there are Orthodox Jews who want there to be separation between the sexes, even on buses and they want the government to provide them.  It makes sense that if they want to run their own bus lines, they should have to pay for it.  However, I'm guessing that when the buses were designed, they were made to accommodate this.  Maybe it's just a coincidence, but I'm assuming that they did this on purpose.  I just think that it's strange that there are so many little examples of inequalities left in such a, generally, progressive society.  I know, just from talking to people in the city, that the Orthodox are looked down on by many of the Israelis and especially the people in Tel Aviv, but its little things like that that serve to remind us that there are still aspects of society that are not equal.  I suppose it's kind of a ridiculous thing to say when you consider the obvious inequalities that are demonstrated with the Arab-Israeli and Palestinian populations, but this is even something going against the Ashkenazi Jews.  No, there isn't a law making them sit in the back of the bus, but the reminder is there that it is a very religious society and if some people had their way, it would be much more strictly controlled.  To me, it hearkens back to what it must have looked like back in the 50s and 60s when there were separate water fountains for blacks and whites and what it must have been like to see both of them side by side after even after the civil rights movements ended up legislating equality.  What's ironic with this is that there was never any legislation enforcing this, it's the companies doing it themselves to meet a market demand.  Or, I suppose there could be another explanation.  Maybe they just want to fit more seats into a bus.