- Policy Papers
Claiming Spaces for Women In Public Transport
This policy brief presents the findings from Azad Foundation's qualitative study on the factors influencing women's recruitment and retention as bus drivers in public transport. It offers key insights and recommendations to combat gender-based exclusion in this sector.
Studies on gender-inclusive transportation have largely focused on the safety of women as commuters and transport users, and there is not much information available about their roles as transport service providers. The ILO (2019) observed that women constituted less than 20% of the global transportation workforce in 2018, as they had limited options in transport-related occupations in all countries. There have been some sporadic, small-scale efforts in some countries, to engage women as public transport bus drivers, including by governments of Ghana, Zimbabwe, Indonesia, and so on. However, these efforts have not been sufficiently documented so as to provide deeper insights into structural factors that impede women’s employment across different roles within this industry.
In order to fill the gap in evidence, about women’s exclusion from being providers of transport, Azad Foundation undertook a rapid qualitative study to analyze critical factors that affect women’s recruitment and retention in public transport as bus drivers. This report documents key findings and highlights critical recommendations to address gender based exclusion in this regard.
Read the Claiming Spaces for Women In Public Transport Advocacy Brief