Gender Mainstreaming
Overview
The transport sector is not gender-neutral, as men and women exhibit distinct travel patterns and needs. For example, women and low-income populations face greater risks of accidents, sexual harassment, and violence during their trips, which impacts their ability to access safe and reliable transportation. Women also shoulder a larger proportion of caregiving burdens globally, and these responsibilities are often exacerbated by limited access to convenient and safe public transit. Lack of gender-disaggregated data further hampers understanding of women’s priorities and needs in various local contexts, such as caregiving responsibilities, costly and inefficient transport options, and inadequate connectivity. These barriers restrict women’s mobility and opportunities, as discussed under the Data Collection and Management Technical Theme.
If the transition to clean energy and modern transportation systems is not intentionally designed to address these inequities, it risks further reinforcing the existing disparities. Women and low-income populations, who are already disproportionately affected by poor air quality, lack access to affordable and energy-efficient transport systems, which limits their social and economic mobility. Integrated, people-centric solutions are necessary to ensure that the transition to low-carbon transportation is equitable and improves access for everyone.
To address these challenges, the USAID-NREL Partnership is focused on integrating gender-sensitive and human-centered designs in transport planning, operations, and workforce development. This includes exploring the energy, emissions, and safety impacts of low-carbon mobility solutions. The Partnership has developed a conceptual framework that highlights five key impact areas and associated goals for new low-carbon transport projects, aimed at reducing inequities and advancing safe, reliable, and affordable transportation for all. Figure 1 illustrates this framework for a just and sustainable mobility transition.
Figure 1. The USAID-NREL Partnership’s Conceptual Framework for a Just and Sustainable Mobility Transition in the Transport Sector (Just and Sustainable Mobility Transition in the Transport Sector: A Conceptual Framework and Gender-Mainstreaming Case Studies).
Under this framework, gender-mainstreaming emphasizes the importance of addressing the unique priorities and needs of women to promote a more equitable transport sector. Key areas of focus include:
- Personal and Physical Safety: Ensuring increased safety from gender-based violence is essential for fostering more inclusive transportation systems. Globally, women are three times as likely to be concerned for their safety on shared modes of transit, often leading them to choose longer, more costly, or less efficient transportation options. This fear, compounded by the risk of sexual harassment, can have long-lasting impacts on travel preferences, resulting in a lifelong reliance on private vehicles over public transit. Safe and well-designed transport infrastructure can also contribute to decarbonizing the sector by encouraging more women to use public transit, cycling, or other low-carbon mobility options. Studies have shown that even a 10% projected increase in public transit use could occur if safe conditions were guaranteed, such as at railway stations. Moreover, improving road safety and minimizing health impacts, such as poor air quality, are key to enhancing the overall well-being of women and vulnerable populations.
- Access to Services: Improving access to low-cost transport services and efficient first- and last-mile options is critical to achieving gender equity in the transport sector. Many women, particularly caregivers, face unique challenges that limit their mobility, such as the need to travel with children or goods, trip chaining, and off-peak travel to noncommercial destinations—all of which are underserved by conventional public transit systems. Globally, women are responsible for 70% of caregiving trips, and these additional burdens often reduce their transportation options and increase costs. Addressing these challenges requires developing low-cost, energy-efficient, and integrated transport systems that enhance access to economic opportunities and basic services. By bridging urban-rural access disparities and prioritizing accessibility for those with caregiving responsibilities, transportation systems can foster social inclusivity and economic growth.
- Workforce Opportunities: Enhancing employment opportunities in the transport sector remains another vital focus area. Women are often underrepresented in various roles within the transport industry, including driving, construction, engineering, management, and project leadership. Despite the proven benefits of diverse perspectives and skill sets—such as enhanced problem-solving and innovation—women’s contributions are frequently overlooked. Providing equal opportunities for women to contribute their unique skills and leadership can strengthen decision-making, foster innovation, and address urgent global challenges. Conversely, neglecting to consider women’s diverse needs and concerns during planning and implementation may result in missed benefits and unintended negative consequences.
Integrating gender-responsive approaches into transport planning and implementation can create safer, more accessible, and equitable transportation systems that benefit everyone. This approach can empower women and underserved populations while promoting economic growth and environmental sustainability.
Key Actions for Achieving a Gender-inclusive Sustainable Transport Ecosystem
- Design Shared, Electric, and Connected Micromobility for Women’s Travel Needs: Expanding fleets of e-rickshaws, vans, and other two- and three-wheeler electrified micromobility options can create safer travel experiences for women, especially for trips to common destinations. Tailoring these transport modes to women’s needs helps ensure more inclusive, accessible, and safe mobility options across communities.
- Modify Public Transit to Accommodate Women’s Travel Needs: Public transit systems can include women-only areas on buses and trains and redesign interiors to better accommodate strollers, wheelchairs, and grocery bags. By focusing on off-peak, shorter-range trips and non-commute purposes (such as travel to schools, healthcare facilities, and grocery stores), public transit will better serve women’s specific mobility needs, enhancing convenience and accessibility.
- Introduce App-Based Inclusive and Inter-Modal Trip Planning with Safety, Caregiving, and Cost-Saving Considerations: Deploying app-based trip planning that includes location-sharing, crowdsourced danger marking, and panic button functionality allows women to use a variety of transport modes while staying informed about potential threats. Inter-modal trip planning also saves time and costs by enabling seamless transfers between different transport modes without the need to purchase separate tickets for each leg of the journey. This real-time information will help women avoid unsafe areas and provide immediate alerts to authorities and designated contacts if a danger arises.
- Upgrade Mobility/ Transit Hub Infrastructure to Enhance Personal Safety: To improve safety, transit hubs, bus stops, and train platforms should be well-lit, particularly during off-peak hours or at night when fewer people are around. In addition, clean and accessible public restrooms in safe and well-lit areas should be prioritized, contributing to a more secure and comfortable experience for women.
- Use Gender Audit Tools to Assess Project Impacts on Women: Introducing audit tools, akin to the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED certification, will help assess how new mobility and clean energy projects address women’s needs. These tools ensure that gender inclusion becomes a core consideration in planning rather than an afterthought, promoting gender equity in future transportation initiatives.
- Introduce Family Fares to Increase Ridership: By introducing family fares, transit systems can reduce travel costs for families and streamline the payment and boarding processes. This could increase ridership during off-peak hours, especially since families typically travel outside peak commuting times.
- Integrate Active Transport with Public Transit: Enhancing first- and last-mile connectivity with active transport options such as walking and cycling will make public transit more accessible to women. These connections support caregiving responsibilities and make public transit a more viable and sustainable option.
- Build Safe and Well-Lit Continuous Sidewalks: Prioritizing active mobility with continuous, well-lit sidewalks will improve the safety and convenience of short trips, especially for women traveling with children or carrying out caregiving tasks. Walkable cities and safer first/last-mile routes increase mobility options and security for women.
- Collect Gender-Disaggregated Travel Data: Acquiring and analyzing gender-disaggregated travel data will help inform the development of new programs and initiatives that better reflect women’s mobility patterns. Data collection is essential for understanding the unique needs of women in the transport sector and driving targeted improvements.
- Provide Workforce Development and Upskilling Programs in the Transport Sector: Expanding workforce development, technical training, and leadership programs will help women acquire the skills necessary to enter and advance in the transport sector. These opportunities are vital for promoting gender equity in transport-related employment and fostering innovation in the field.
In the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR), the USAID-NREL Partnership is actively working to incorporate gender considerations into transport planning. By customizing OpenPATH for Laos, the partnership has developed “Laos OpenPATH,” which collects gender-disaggregated travel data to inform public charging infrastructure strategies for Vientiane Capital City. This initiative evaluates the optimal locations for EV charging stations, taking into account popular travel hubs, safety, lighting, and accessibility for women and disabled individuals.
Read more about USAID-NREL Partnership projects here and explore how we are driving innovative solutions in clean energy and sustainable transport.
Resources
USAID-NREL Partnership, 2023
This report advocates for a shift in global transport priorities towards equitable and sustainable mobility solutions, emphasizing gender-inclusive strategies and addressing disparities in access and reliability across diverse communities. Under the USAID-NREL Partnership, the framework proposes key impact areas such as gender-mainstreaming, equitable access, health and safety improvements, optimized land use, and economic inclusivity that aim to guide policymakers and practitioners in integrating equity into low-carbon transport initiatives worldwide.
Closing Gender Gaps in Transport
The World Bank, 2023
This policy note provides a framework for incorporating gender responsive transport and mobility into the World Bank’s Gender Strategy 2024-2030. It offers policy makers a number of key takeaways based on existing evidence and promising World Bank practices that address gender in mobility.
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, 2021
This article examines the present legal and policy framework for public transport in India via a gender lens in light of the constitutional mandates and highlights the importance of gender-responsive public transport in becoming a cornerstone of sustainable development. The research highlights the gendered dimensions of transport and its impact, with examples of gender-based discrimination across the globe.
Approaches for Gender Responsive Urban Mobility
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), 2018
This sourcebook explores the intersection of gender and urban transport, emphasizing the need to consider gender in all phases of planning, design, and implementation. It highlights the specific needs of women in transport and showcases good practices worldwide that can inspire gender-responsive planning and improve transport systems for all users, particularly vulnerable groups.
Asian Development Bank (ADB)
The tool kit provides guidance for transport sector specialists and gender specialists by drawing attention to the gender dimensions of transport, and how to mainstream gender equality issues into transport project design, implementation, and policy engagement. It guides users in designing project outputs, activities, inputs, indicators, and targets to respond to gender issues in transport sector operations.
Gender Equality Toolkit in Transport
Future Transport Visions Group (FTVG)
This open access toolkit is for transport professionals who are seeking guidance and resources to help them to understand gender equality issues in transport and to help them better incorporate gender mainstreaming into their day to day work.
If you are interested in collaborating or learning more about the USAID-NREL Partnership's international sustainable transport and electric mobility initiatives, please contact us to learn more about partnership opportunities.