Introduction

AuthorHaq, G.; Ortega Hortelano, A.; Tsakalidis, A.; Gkoumas, K.; Pekár, F.; Balen, M. van; Grosso, M.
Pages5-7
5
1 Introduction
Gender equality in transport aims to reduce mobility inequalities between men and women. While gender issues
have been considered in a number of policy areas, little progress has been made in the transport sector .
There is increasing evidence to suggest that transport is not gender neutral (Meyer, 2006). For example, women
are currently underrepresented in the European transport sector (2) accounting for only 22% of transport
workers (Giannelos et al., 2018). The underrepresentation of women in the transport sector can be explained by
several reasons: difficulty to find a work-life balance in shift work, lack of appropriate working environment and
equipment, lack of training and life -long learning opportunitie s or inadequate targete d recruitment (European
Commission, 2019) persistence of stereotypes, harassment, and bullying (Pillinger, 2017).
Women also have specific travel characteristics with regard to mode choice, time of travel, trip purpose, route
and travel distance. This is because the activities women undertake tend to be more complex than those of
men due to women often being more responsible for domestic chores, children, elderly relatives and the sick
(Duchene, 2011). Gender differences in travel patterns re flect the division of roles in the family a nd affect
women’s employment conditions, income levels and mobility needs (Civita s,n .d., Sola, 2016). Gender is
therefore a key factor in mobility and travel behaviour differences and as a consequence, time lost in travelling
has a more penalising effect on women than men (EIGE, 2016).
Understandingthefactorsthatinfluencewomen’stravelbehaviour such as personal security and safety issues
on public transport and attitudes to innovative transport technologies, can contribute to the design and
implementation of sustainable transport policies t hat can reduce polluting air emissions and improve gender
equity (Ng and Acker, 2018).
The aim of this report is to provide an overview of women’s issues in the European transport sector. It outlines
key factors that affect women, transport and mobi lity. This is followed by a summary of relevant EU policy
initiatives and regulations regarding gender equali ty and transport. An analysis of the evolution of European
research in tackling women issues in transport is undertaken based on the research and innovation (R&I)
projects listed in the European Commission ’s (EC) Transport Research and Inno vation Monitoring and
Information System (TRIMIS)(3). Women's participation in transport R&I activities is also analysed. The report
concludes by identifying the main barriers for women’s equality in transport and ke y recommendations to
overcome these are outlined.
1.1 Women’s mobility and travel behaviour
A survey of lite rature on women and transport issues suggests gender mobility patterns in Europe have been
changing as gender differences in socio-economic and demographic conditions have evolved.
An overview of gender differences in mobility and travel behaviour can be gained from ad hoc research. In
addition, European national mobility surveys provide gender disaggregated data that are useful for Member
State gender and transport research. However, these data are not always comparable or standardised.
Comparable data are availabl e from the European Union (EU) harmonised time use surveys but these provide
only travel time and mode by gender and lack spatial information, the availability of national gender-
disaggregated mobility data needs to be addressed to gain a greater understanding of gender and transport
issues across the EU.
Although women’s participation in the EU labour market has been increasing, there is still fewer women
employed than men (66.4% in 2017 compared to 77.9% for men). The average pay of women is approximately
16% lower than that of men. In addition, women in all EU Member States undertake unpaid care responsibilities
each week. This varies between 6 to 8 hours in Nordic countries and can be over 15 hours in countries such as
Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Malta, Greece and Cyprus. Part-time work remains the predominant way women
can engage in the labour market (European Commission, 2019a).
While there has been a change in the traditional gender roles and household responsibilities, women still retain
more responsibility than men. There is still a transport disadvantage for women that i s linked to their
participation in the labour ma rket and the division o f household tasks. The unequal division of domestic tasks
isaburden onwo men’stime budget and can lead to an increased car use, shorter journeys, and more part-
time working which limit employment opportunities (Best and Lanzendorf, 2 005).
Accesstoprivatetranspo rtisthereforea keyfactorin determiningwomen’smo bilityandeconomic inclusion.
Limited access to private transport has the potenti al to lock women into a low wage, low skilled economy. The
(2) Transport sector: Transportation and storage sector (H) in NACE Rev. 2, considering age class 15-64
(3) https://trimis.ec.europa.eu/

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