Every day, millions of women in Europe navigate urban transport systems that were not designed with their needs in mind. While women outnumber men in Europe (by 3.4% in 2024, according to Statista), their travel patterns and safety concerns remain largely overlooked in urban planning.
In general, women's journeys differ fundamentally from the traditional home-to-work commutes around which our cities are designed. Women's journeys often involve multiple stops – taking children to school, visiting an elderly relative during lunch or stopping for groceries on the way home.
These "trip-chaining" patterns make women more reliant on public transport. But long waiting times, unreliable connections and poorly-integrated services create unnecessary barriers for women who must navigate these multifaceted journeys.
Additionally, a 2020 worldwide study by Imperial College London revealed a stark reality: women were 10% more likely than men to feel unsafe on urban public transport, adding another layer of difficulty to their daily travels. It's time to address these invisible barriers and design transport systems that work for everyone.
This imbalance is no accident; it stems from a transport system designed by and for a workforce that no longer represents the reality of modern urban life. Consequently, transport networks continue to prioritise the direct home-to-workplace commute, traditionally undertaken by middle-class, middle-aged men.
The heart of this problem
At the heart of this problem lies the glaring underrepresentation of women in the transport sector. Across the EU, women account for just 22% of the transport workforce, leading to unconscious biases in infrastructure planning, policy development and service provision.
To address these disparities, gender mainstreaming – the integration of gender perspectives at every stage of policy design and implementation – must become a core principle in urban planning. This approach does not prioritise one gender over another or exclude other groups with specific needs, such as elderly people or children. Rather, it ensures that transport systems serve the needs of all users, not just the outdated image of the traditional male commuter.
One immediate step towards progress would be increasing the share of women in the ITS sector. However, representation alone doesn't ensure equality.
Since both women and men are educated in gendered norms and ways of working, there's a significant risk of women leaving the career pipeline.
Creating a more balanced workforce requires targeted policies to attract and retain women, such as mentorship programmes and equal pay initiatives. EIT Urban Mobility, for instance, has adopted a Gender Mainstreaming Policy to foster inclusivity within the organisation while integrating gender perspectives into the planning, design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programming to enhance innovation and research quality.
Awareness training is another essential component for nurturing diverse talent. Transport planners, engineers and policymakers need to recognise and address the specific challenges faced by women, and other underrepresented groups, in urban transport planning systems. Data, too, is critical. Comprehensive research on how women use transport can help policymakers make informed, evidence-based decisions. Furthermore, incorporating broader perspectives – such as health impacts in traffic models and cost-benefit analyses – could help create a fairer system.
The dominant transport-planning norms – fixated on rationality, cost-saving and profit – need to be challenged in order to create a truly inclusive transport system.
Another avenue for progress lies in start-up investment. Encouraging more women-led mobility start-ups, and ensuring gender-balanced funding allocation, can lead to innovative solutions that genuinely cater to diverse users.
Bridging the gender gap in urban mobility demands more than incremental tweaks; it calls for systemic reform. Transport networks must evolve to reflect the realities of modern life. A system that works for women benefits everyone – becoming more efficient, safer and better integrated into our daily lives.
As we mark International Women's Day on 8 March, it is time to turn the conversation into concrete action. Policymakers, transport authorities, and private stakeholders must work together to reshape urban mobility, ensuring that gender equality is not just an aspiration but a reality in our cities.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bernadette Bergsma is communications & EU affairs director, EIT Urban Mobility
EIT Urban Mobility is an initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, a body of the European Union. Since 2019, EIT Urban Mobility has been facilitating connections between business, academia, research and public organisations; funding innovations and start-ups, and training the next generation of entrepreneurs
