Discussing measures to reduce the gender gap in transport companies: A qualitative approach

Gender equality is a fundamental principle of the EU. Indeed the introduction of the principle of equal pay dates back to 1957 with the Treaty of Rome. The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) discusses that there are many issues behind the gender gap, such as employment rate, part-time work, unpaid care, and family responsibilities, access to professions and decision-making positions, working conditions, hourly wages, the possibilities for economic independence, among others. Regarding the transport sector, the EC states that, in the whole sector, only 22% of transport workers are women. This gender gap is even higher when we look in detail at the different transport sectors. Within this sector's companies, it is evident that departments like Human Resources, with administrative or cleaning tasks, have higher rates of female employees, compared to others, which have typical stereotypical occupations like drivers, technicians, and mechanics or those related to engineers. Likewise, female representation in boards of directors is quite limited. The aim of this paper is to discuss the situation of female employment based on different case studies. Using a qualitative approach, the author explores barriers, experiences and successful measures within different public transport companies in the EU and discuss which measures benefit female participation in the transport job market.