Need for gender perspectives in Transport

Transport-related issues such as access to jobs, markets, health and educational facilities play a very important role in perpetuating women’s disadvantaged position in society. However, there has hardly been any effort to incorporate gender perspectives into the transport sector. Men and women have very different mobility needs because of the gender based division of labor within the family and community. Women in general make shorter, more frequent and more dispersed trips during the day because they perform multiple roles as home makers and income earners.

Most transportation planning is carried out without taking into account the different travel patterns of men and women due to the different gender roles. As a result most transport systems are biased towards the travel needs of men. Women typically do not have equal access to private motor vehicles and face major safety issues in public transport. Women’s access to motorized transport is limited because of the twin issues of affordability and cultural roles. Even in car-owning households, it is often only the men who get to drive. As a result women are more dependent on public transport than men especially when they belong to the lower income groups. Personal safety and the avoidance of harassment are the major concerns for women public transit users. Women are especially vulnerable to violent attacks or sexual abuse when transporting heavy goods and accompanying children and this can be a major deterrent for women to use public means of transport.

Gender analysis of transport projects challenges the traditional neo – classical analysis which assumes household behaviour reflects the preferences of all its individuals, regardless of the power structures and gender relations within the households. Gender orientation of transport planning is likely to shift the focus away from facilitating the movement of vehicles to a more people centered approach. The World Bank’s new transport policy acknowledges that transport policies in most countries are geared towards the needs of the men and failure to consider possibilities for improving the lot of women often stems from inadequate analysis rather than excessive cost. However, relatively little is discussed in the India policy circles about the transport behaviour of women.