WOMEN IN PUBLIC TRANSPORT To build safe, accessible, and equitable public transport systems, gender equality needs to be integrated throughout the public transport agenda. Women’s voices need to be present and heard during policymaking, planning, research and development, operation and monitoring of systems to ensure that public transport services are gender responsive. This means involving women as decision-makers in policy discussions and consultations about public transport developments, and action to increase women’s participation and leadership at all levels throughout public transport development and implementation. Trade unions provide a powerful vehicle for women workers to speak with a collective voice and to make demands around strengthening women’s employment and promoting decent work. This also means that gender equality needs to be strengthened in trade unions.
2. Strengthening women’s employment and promoting decent work Women need better work opportunities to reduce the gender gap in public transport. This section introduces strategies to strengthen women’s employment in the sector. These include addressing workplace issues, ensuring that recruitment and training promote gender equality and making sure that a gender-responsive approach is taken to the expansion of public transport. 2.1 WOMEN’S EMPLOYMENT IN PUBLIC TRANSPORT Jobs in the transport industry are highly gendered and unequal. This means that there are ‘jobs for women’ and ‘jobs for men’, often related to gender-biased attitudes and barriers. Inequality also exists in the wages of men and women, contributing to a significant gender pay gap. The same segregation exists in public transport, where women have historically been underrepresented.
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT OPERATION & MONITORING OF SYSTEMS PLANNING
POLICYMAKING
We need to ensure that public transport services are gender responsive at every stage
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