New World Bank report calls for boosting women’s representation in the transport sector

On 30 January, the World Bank published their new report, “Addressing Barriers to Women’s Participation in Transport”,  in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank, the German Agency for International Cooperation, the European Investment Bank, and the International Transport Forum. The report examines the role of women in the transport sector in Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). 

Its main finding is that women are significantly underrepresented in the sector's workforce, representing only 12 % of employees worldwide. This affects the transport sector’s performance in service design and decision-making. Increasing the employment of women in transport is key to achieving greener, safer, and more efficient transport systems. The main benefits include a better environment for innovation, higher team performance, improved service delivery for diverse users, and addressing labour shortages in the sector.

In Europe, women make up 22 % of the transport workforce. Employment rates are particularly low in land transport (14 %) compared to air transport (40 %). Women are also underrepresented in decision-making roles. At the national level in EU Member States, the sector is predominantly led by men, with only 22 % of transport ministers being women in 2021. In parliamentary committees on transport policy, women accounted for just 27 %. The situation is no better in the private sector, where women’s share of employment is typically lower than in the public sector. While overall female employment rates in the EU have increased, progress in the transport sector has been marginal.

To increase women's participation in the transport workforce, and particularly in decision-making roles, the European Commission launched the “Women in Transport – EU Platform for change”. This platform presents a broad set of best practices to boost women’s representation in transport and has published the “Women in transport – Toolkit”, which informs companies on strategies to improve gender balance and highlights the benefits of doing so.

Author: Claus Köllinger

Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not reflect those of the European Commission.