Urban mobility is vital for everyone to participate in a city in all its dimensions. Research around the world has shown that women are more dependent on walking and public transport for their everyday commute as compared to men. However, women continue to be underrepresented in this field facing several challenges that hinder their full participation. Women constitute less than 25 % of the global transport workforce. Attracting and retaining women in the transport sector has been a challenge for both the governments as well as the private sector. Empowering women in transport is not only a matter of social justice but also a strategic imperative for the sustainable development of the sector. Gender responsive transport policies and systems can change the social, economic, and cultural fabric of a city thereby fostering gender equity and inclusion. Many steps need to be taken towards this end from skilling women, addressing biases and changing policies. There is an imperative need to incentivize opportunities for women’s leadership.
This webinar is the second of the two-part webinar series on women and mobility. While the first webinar focused on highlighting the key mobility related challenges faced by women commuters, this second webinar would focus on the experiences and concerns of women engaged in the transport sector globally. It would bring to the centre stage the voices of women working in the transport sector. The webinar would bring together experts from the sector- city governments, research and think and do tanks, women-led organizations to initiate meaningful conversations to advocate for women’ participation in the transport sector through innovative solutions, programs, and policy interventions. It will also highlight good practices adopted by cities to encourage women across age, socio- economic backgrounds, physical ability to use public transport and work in the transport sector.