Women around the world face numerous mobility challenges. Public transport can provide many economic benefits that should be enjoyed equally by all users, regardless of gender or life circumstances. In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, women have a higher university enrollment rate than men, yet their labor force participation rate remains low and stagnant. What is preventing them from translating their educational achievements into economic productivity? Is it a matter of personal preference or structural barriers, or is it both? Although public transport systems can play a significant role in women’s participation in the labor force globally, this topic has been little explored in the MENA region. “Ten Thousand Steps in Her Shoes: The Role of Public Transport in Women’s Economic Empowerment” examines the role of public transport in women’s access to economic opportunities in urban MENA. The book studies the links among mobility, gender, and access to economic opportunities and focuses on three metropolitan areas—Amman, Jordan; Beirut, Lebanon; and Cairo, the Arab Republic of Egypt. Chapters focus on the availability of public transport close to households and employment centers, accessibility to job opportunities, affordability, social and cultural norms, and safety from crime and harassment. Data collected in 2022 reveal that a significant percentage of non-working women in urban MENA lack affordable, comfortable, safe, time-efficient, and reliable transport options, thus preventing them from seeking work. Women can contribute significantly to the economy. Improving public transport and tailoring it to the needs of various communities can help women be economically active. In addition, providing flexible work arrangements that support balancing personal, family, and work lives; protecting women from gender-based discrimination; and offering high-quality childcare options near where people work or live are key. However, gender equity in transport use can be only partially accomplished through well-intentioned policy interventions. Public awareness and endorsement of the benefits of greater gender equality—within households, workplaces, and society at large—are also crucial to advancing women’s participation in the economy. The analysis and recommendations presented in this report will help policy makers in Jordan, Lebanon, and Egypt design concrete actions, improve women’s mobility through public transport, and create an enabling environment to increase female economic participation.
Authors
- Associated content
- Evidence from Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon (informal publication)
- Citation
- “ Alam, Muneeza Mehmood ; Bagnoli, Lisa . 2024 . Ten Thousand Steps in Her Shoes: The Role of Public Transport in Women’s Economic Empowerment . Middle East and North Africa Development Report Series . © Washington, DC: World Bank . http://hdl.handle.net/10986/41786 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO . ”
- Collection(s)
- MENA Development Reports
- ISBN
- 978-1-4648-2091-5 (paper)
- Published in
- United States of America
- RelationisPartofseries
- Middle East and North Africa Development Report Series
- Rights
- CC BY 3.0 IGO
- Rights Holder
- World Bank
- Rights URI
- https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/
- UNIT
- Transport - MNA (IMNT1)
- URI
- https://hdl.handle.net/10986/41786
- date disclosure
- 2024-06-27
- region geographical
- Middle East , North Africa
Files
Table of Contents
- Front Cover 1
- Contents 9
- Foreword 15
- Acknowledgments 17
- About the Authors 19
- Executive Summary 21
- Abbreviations 31
- Chapter 1 Introduction 33
- Background 33
- Conceptual Framework and Methodology 40
- Notes 44
- References 44
- Chapter 2 Mobility and Gender 47
- Background 47
- Overall Mobility Patterns 48
- Public Transport Networks and Their Use 51
- Public Transport Users 59
- Challenges and Areas of Improvement Identified by Public Transport Users 65
- Conclusion 68
- Notes 71
- References 72
- Chapter 3 Mobility, Gender, and Access to Economic Opportunities 73
- Background 73
- Why Mobility Matters for the Labor Market 74
- Mobility Patterns of People Who Currently Work 0
- The Latent Desire to Be Gainfully Employed 77
- Spatial Measures of Mobility by Public and Active Means of Transport 83
- Effects of Public Transport on Labor Market Outcomes 0
- Conclusion 101
- Notes 102
- References 104
- Chapter 4 Recommendations 107
- Introduction 107
- What Concrete Actions Are Needed to Improve the Public Transport Systems in All Three Cities? 108
- What Concrete and City-Specific Actions Are Needed to Improve Women’s Mobility? 0
- What Concrete Actions Are Needed to Improve Women’s Economic Participation through Better Public Transport? 0
- Complementary Recommendations in Other Sectors 111
- Note 111
- Reference 112
- Boxes 37
- Box 1.1 Current Evidence on Gender, Mobility, and Access to Economic Opportunities 37
- Box 1.2 Transport and Economic Context in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo 39
- Box 2.1 Has the COVID-19 Pandemic Affected Men’s and Women’s Mobility in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo? 0
- Box 2.2 Methodology Used for Public Transport Network Mapping in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo 55
- Box 3.1 Women’s Time Poverty 0
- Box 3.2 Empirical Model Estimated 96
- Box 3.3 Mobility, Access to Opportunities, and Intersectionality 98
- Figures 23
- Figure ES.1 Role of Public Transport in Women’s Economic Empowerment 23
- Figure 1.1 Current University Enrollment and LFP among Men and Women in the MENA Region 34
- Figure 1.2 University Enrollment and LFP of Women in the MENA Region, 1990–2020 35
- Figure 1.3 Gender Gaps in LFP, 1990–2019 36
- Figure 1.4 Conceptual Framework for Women’s Access to Economic Opportunities 41
- Figure 1.5 Summary of Collected Data 43
- Figure 2.1 Share of the Population That Made at Least One Trip on the Day Prior to the Survey in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo, by Gender 48
- Figure 2.2 Share of Men and Women Using Various Modes of Transport on the Day Prior to the Survey in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo 49
- Figure B2.1.1 Share of the Population in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo That Increased the Use of a Specific Type of Transport Because of the Pandemic, by Gender 50
- Figure 2.3 Private Vehicle Ownership in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo, by Type 51
- Figure 2.4 Driver’s License Possession among Men and Women in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo 52
- Figure 2.5 Time to Reach a Public Transport Stop by Walking from Home in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo 56
- Figure 2.6 Time to Walk from Home to a Public Transport Stop in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo, by Means of Public Transport 57
- Figure 2.7 Frequency of Use of Public Transport in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo, by Gender 58
- Figure 2.8 Frequency of Use of Public Transport in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo, by Means of Public Transport 59
- Figure 2.9 Purpose of Trips among Public Transport Users in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo 61
- Figure 2.10 Length of Trips Using Public Transport in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo 62
- Figure 2.11 Distribution of Trip Fares Using Public Transport in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo, by Gender 63
- Figure 2.12 Means of Public Transport Used in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo, by Gender 64
- Figure 2.13 Top Three Challenges for Women Using Public Transport in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo 65
- Figure 2.14 Challenges among Public Transport Users in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo, by Gender 67
- Figure 2.15 Top Three Areas for Improvements in Transport Services and Auxiliary Infrastructure in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo, as Identified by Women 68
- Figure 2.16 Top Improvements Identified for Public Transport Services in Amman and Beirut, by Gender 69
- Figure 2.17 Top Improvements Identified for Auxiliary Infrastructure in and Near Transport Stops in Amman and Beirut, by Gender 70
- Figure 3.1 Dominant Mode of Transport for Commuting from Home to Work in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo, by Gender 76
- Figure 3.2 Dominant Means of Public Transport for Commuting from Home to Work in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo, by Gender 77
- Figure 3.3 Share of Non-Working Women Who Say They Would Be Willing to Accept a Job If It Were Available in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo 78
- Figure 3.4 Percentage of Non-Working People Who Perceive That Commuting Is a Barrier to Work in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo, by Gender 79
- Figure 3.5 Reasons Cited by Non-Working People Who Consider Commuting as a Barrier to Work in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo, by Gender 80
- Figure 3.6 Relative Importance of Transport-Related Barriers to Commuting for Work in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo, by Gender 82
- Figure 3.7 Relative Importance of Non–Transport-Related Barriers to Women Commuting for Work in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo 83
- Figure 3.8 Average Accessibility Levels in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo 86
- Figure 3.9 Lorenz Curves of Accessibility Levels for Different Parameters of Public Transport in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo 88
- Figure 3.10 Commuter’s Mode Choice and Accessibility Levels in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo, by Transport Type 89
- Figure 3.11 Average Availability Levels in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo 92
- Figure 3.12 Parameters Used to Assess Safety at Public Transport Stops 93
- Figure 3.13 Safety at Public Transport Stops: Results from the Built Environment Audits in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo 94
- Figure 3.14 Main Results of the Empirical Analysis for This Study 97
- Figure 3.15 Impact of Increased Safety at Public Transport Stops on Women’s LFP in Amman 99
- Figure 3.16 Impact of Increased Accessibility of Jobs through Public Transport on Women’s LFP in Cairo 100
- Maps 38
- Map 1.1 Share of Scientific Literature on Gender and Mobility, by Region 38
- Map 2.1 Public Transport Network in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo 53
- Map 3.1 Accessibility of Public Transport in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo 85
- Map 3.2 Availability of Public Transport in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo 91
- Map 3.3 Safety of Public Transport in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo 95
- Tables 62
- Table 2.1 Median Time Spent on Trips Using Public Transport 62
- Table 2.2 Median Fare of Trips Using Public Transport 63
- Table 3.1 Average Accessibility Levels for Different Parameters 87
- Table 3.2 Gini Index of Accessibility Levels for Different Parameters 87