Transport and gender: overview and challenges of an emerging research field Margaret Grieco Professor of Transport and Society Napier University

State of the field  The basic framework literature is now in place. This literature provides clear indication that gender and transport is a relevant technical dimension given current concerns about issues of social equity and environmental protection

State of the field (2)  The incorporation and implementation of gender and transport perspectives into operations is not yet a matter of institutional and professional practice.

State of the field (3)  Despite the availability of gender policy tools such as gender audits, gender responsive budgets, gender checklists and replicable gender analyses, these tools are not yet widely used within the relevant institutional and professional planning communities.

State of the field (4)  It is not simply the case that traditional approaches have failed to appreciate and include gender analyses in the provision of mobility, accessibility and connectivity needs but it is also the case that new ‘progressive’ approaches such as those concerned with environmental protection also typically ignore the gender dimension most particularly in respect of transport.

State of the field (5)  Let’s take three examples of present circumstances that serve to alert us to the distance yet to go in the proper technical utilisation of gender and transport knowledge bases and expertise.  Gender representation in core professional bodies  Gender burden of walking buses  Gender burden of waste reduction enforcement

Deficient practices (1)  The United Kingdom is in the process of trying to establish a National Transport Centre. This process has gone forward with only one woman on an evaluating committee of ten, and with no women involved whatsoever in the core team of the final candidates for the operation of the centre. Gender does not feature substantially within the finalist bid.

Deficient practices (2)  The gender burden of the walking bus. The rush to positively evaluate the walking bus has not been accompanied by an analysis of whose household time is used in this way or of the stresses that time management around the walking bus can impose upon women. The benefit to children and the environment of the walking bus has drowned out the analysis of the consequences for women.

Deficient practices (3)  The blunt enforcement of household waste reduction. Currently UK local authorities are seeking to enforce the reduction of household waste by limiting rubbish collection to once in two weeks and by fining households that generate more rubbish than the allowance. This blunt enforcement is not adjusted for household size nor has it been accompanied by any evaluation of the stress that this may impose upon women who are the most likely managers of household waste. As importantly, these policies have not been accompanied by any analysis of the equity effects in respect of low income. Those with access to cars are likely to take their rubbish to official tips whilst those without must either dump illegally or handle the impact of vermin.

Adjusting deficient practices (1)  It should be a matter of strict institutional protocol that projects, programs and centres in the field of transport are not funded without an equitable gender representation at the senior levels. The consequence of failing to adopt such a protocol is that the current biases which neglect the user needs of more than half the demographic base of the citizenship continue.

Adjusting deficient practices (2)  A European analysis of gender and time pressures in respect of walking buses and other similar soft transport/ environmental measures should be funded.  Thought needs to be given to developing social institutions at a European level which can reduce the time stress on women in respect of mobility, accessibility and connectivity.

Adjusting deficient practices (3)  Reducing the gender burden of reducing household waste. Commercial institutions which make use of excessive packaging should be the key target in respect of enforcement. Local government needs to provide recycling facilities at the very local neighbourhood level – this should include green space for the disposal of bio- degradeables. Household waste targets should take account of household size and household mobility circumstances. A gender analysis of this issue is long overdue.

Positive feedback  The European Union has flagged gender and transport as being of significance though member states still have a long way to go in embracing the perspective.  Some European projects have begun to pay attention to gender dimensions in the field of transport though not the main balance of the sector by any manner of means.  There is now a dedicated gender and transport project in TRANSGEN that is doing magnificent work in the mapping of the knowledge base on gender and transport and the extent of improvements which have yet to be made if the European transport structure and organisation is to be equitable and environmentally friendly.

Conclusion  The focus on gender and transport has been greatly neglected despite the availability of framework understandings and evidence of best practices for over twenty years.  The adoption of the focus by institutions has been relatively unstable. The approach has been adopted and fallen into decay in more than one global institution.  The European Union has the opportunity to systematise the approach and to routinely incorporate it in the field of operational and professional practice. Europe has the opportunity to stabilise this technical space and by doing so to deliver benefits to equity and environment which will spread beyond its borders.

Thank you for your attention.  May I thank you in advance for your future action.

REFERENCES  uality_in_transport.pdf uality_in_transport.pdf uality_in_transport.pdf    /HTML/Gender-RG/module5/index-p8.html /HTML/Gender-RG/module5/index-p8.html /HTML/Gender-RG/module5/index-p8.html  nderaudit?page=5 nderaudit?page=5 nderaudit?page=5

Paper presented to TRANSGEN  Expert workshop – a new gendered transport architecture for Europe  14 th June, 2007  DANRO –Danish EU Research Office, Rue du Trone 98b, Brussels