Current Trends in Gender, Work and Transport: An Island Perspective

Abstract

The gender specific issues that arise out of transport infrastructures, such as more complex travel patterns and safety and security concerns for women in transport, highlight more than ever the need for a better gender perspective in the design, development and management of transport systems. This however is hard to achieve when only 22 per cent of transport employees in the European Union are female. According to the International Transport Forum, women are less represented in senior level positions in the sector. Furthermore, with declining numbers in employment in the sector, the risks of discounting some of these gender concerns in decision-making becomes even more pressing. This chapter looks at current trends and investigates the opportunities and challenges that the sector is facing to attract, retain and train women in transport. Focussing on cases of EU island states, this research will look at women and work within the public transport sector and, through interviews with management, will investigate concerns about current trends as well as the future of work in transport. The chapter also discusses the future of transport employment, and raises some questions with regard to the fast approaching decarbonisation of transport, with increased focus on green skills and green jobs, but also with the forthcoming technological disruption envisaged through automation and Mobility as a Service.

Citation

Attard, M. and Dimitriou, L. (2022), "Current Trends in Gender, Work and Transport: An Island Perspective", Wright, T., Budd, L. and Ison, S. (Ed.) Women, Work and Transport (Transport and Sustainability, Vol. 16), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 23-36. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2044-994120220000016003