A new report published today calls for a greater focus on women’s employment in transport and proposes actionable steps to address barriers to women’s education, employment, and promotion in the sector.

The report, titled Addressing Barriers to Women’s Participation in Transport, was prepared jointly by the World Bank Group, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the European Investment Bank (EIB), and the International Transport Forum (ITF). It covers global trends and provides in-depth analysis of the women’s role in the transport sector in Europe and Central Asia (ECA) and Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

Women are significantly underrepresented in the global transport sector workforce, comprising only 12% of transportation and storage workers worldwide. This underrepresentation limits diverse perspectives in service design and decision-making, negatively affects businesses and undermines economic growth. Increasing female participation and leadership in the sector can drive innovation, enhance team performance, and improve service delivery for diverse users, while boosting GDP and addressing critical labor shortages.

The report emphasizes that employing more women in transport is essential for advancing towards greener, safer, and more efficient transport systems. Achieving gender parity enhances the performance and decision-making capabilities of transport companies and yields substantial benefits for workers and service users.

The report identifies several critical barriers to women’s participation in the transport sector, including unfavorable workplace policies and significant gender gaps in operational, technical and leadership roles.

To address these challenges, the report makes tailored recommendations for policymakers, public and private sector employers, educational institutions, civil society organizations, foundations, and other stakeholders. The recommendations are provided across the following pillars: attraction and recruitment, HR policies and practices, retention, career advancement, and leadership, legal and policy framework, data collection and research.

Launch of the Women in Transport (WiT) Network

The analysis and recommendations in this report have informed the creation of the Women in Transport (WiT) Network, which was also launched today with participation from key stakeholders, including government officials, private and public sector industry leaders, and representatives from international organizations.

The WiT Network brings together transport stakeholders dedicated to empowering women across all facets and levels of the transport sector It will serve as a forum for networking, recruitment, information exchange, training, and mentorship opportunities for women.

Quotes From the Founders of the Network:

• World Bank Group: “The launch of the Women in Transport Network is a significant step towards creating a more inclusive transport sector,” said Nicolas Peltier, World Bank Global Director for Transport. “By providing a platform for institutions to connect around gender equality, we can empower women, facilitate access to better job opportunities, and enhance the overall efficiency and inclusivity of the transport sector.”

• Asian Development Bank (ADB): “In Asia and the Pacific, women are typically found in fewer than 9% of transport jobs. The launch of the Women in Transport Network is an important step towards investing in women’s participation in the sector and will provide them with the knowledge, skills, and opportunities to lead. It also represents an opportunity for transport stakeholders to build inclusive transport systems that ensure women and girls’ access to markets, employment, health and education,” said Samantha Hung, Director, Gender Equality, ADB.

• European Investment Bank (EIB): “When transport services are inclusive, economies thrive. Yet, as this joint report and our work at the EIB reveal, few transport companies fully leverage policies to better attract, retain and promote women. The Women in Transport Network enables us to unite efforts and scale impactful solutions – benefiting women, employers, communities and the climate”, said Laura Piovesan, EIB Director General of the Projects Directorate.

• German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ): “Integrating women’s perspectives and leadership is crucial for creating inclusive and gender-responsive transport systems,” said Ingrid-Gabriela Hoven, Managing Director of GIZ. “Our experience with Women Mobilize Women has shown the transformative power of networks. The launch of this report and the Women in Transport Network is a vital step toward advancing gender equity and sustainable mobility for all.”

• International Transport Forum (ITF): “Women’s leadership is crucial to building resilient, inclusive, and efficient transport systems. I’m encouraged and hopeful that the Women in Transport Network will be a powerful driver of innovation, better decision-making, and sustainable growth in our sector. Our contribution builds on ITF’s ongoing work on Gender in Transport as together with our partners we help to mainstream gender as an essential driver of better transport policy”, said Young Tae Kim, ITF Secretary General.