A new report released today emphasizes the need for increased women's employment in the transport sector, highlighting various benefits of gender equality. The report, titled "Addressing Barriers to Women’s Participation in Transport," was collaboratively prepared by the World Bank Group, Asian Development Bank (ADB), German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), European Investment Bank (EIB), and International Transport Forum (ITF). It provides a detailed analysis of women's roles in transport within Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East and North Africa.
Globally, women represent only 12% of workers in transportation and storage sectors. This underrepresentation limits diverse perspectives in service design and decision-making, impacting businesses negatively and hindering economic growth. Increasing female participation is seen as a means to drive innovation, enhance team performance, improve service delivery for diverse users, boost GDP, and address labor shortages.
The report stresses that more women in transport are vital for achieving greener, safer, and more efficient systems. Gender parity enhances company performance and decision-making capabilities while benefiting workers and service users.
Several barriers to women's participation are identified, including unfavorable workplace policies and significant gender gaps in operational roles. The report offers recommendations across several pillars: attraction and recruitment; HR policies; retention; career advancement; leadership; legal frameworks; data collection; and research.
The launch of the Women in Transport (WiT) Network accompanies this report. The network aims to empower women across all levels of the transport sector by providing networking opportunities, recruitment channels, information exchange platforms, training sessions, and mentorship programs.
"The launch of the Women in Transport Network is a significant step towards creating a more inclusive transport sector," said Nicolas Peltier from the World Bank Group. Samantha Hung from ADB emphasized its importance for investing in women's participation. Laura Piovesan from EIB highlighted how inclusive services lead to thriving economies. Ingrid-Gabriela Hoven from GIZ stressed integrating women's perspectives as crucial for gender-responsive systems. Young Tae Kim from ITF noted that women's leadership is key to building resilient systems.