IWD 2026: Transport through a gendered lens
Transport systems and infrastructure are often considered to be gender-neutral: roads, railways, bus networks and pavements are designed to move people from A to B.
But in reality, transport systems are not experienced equally. They reflect the priorities and assumptions of the societies that have built them, and historically, those priorities have not centred on women and girls.
If we are serious about creating equitable, inclusive places that work for everyone, we must start by looking at transport through a gendered lens. This includes travel patterns, social or felt safety, and experience of place.
The invisible patterns in women’s journeys
Traditional transport planning has largely been built around a linear commute: home to work and back again, typically during peak hours. This model reflects the movement patterns of a historically male breadwinner in a nuclear family – a single, predictable trip chain focused on paid employment out of the home.
But women’s travel patterns are often more complex.
Women are more likely to undertake “trip chaining”, combining multiple short journeys in one outing: dropping children at school, caring for relatives, stopping at shops, attending medical appointments, and travelling to work, more often part-time or shift work. These journeys are often off-peak, multi-stop and reliant on local services such as buses.
Caring responsibilities also shape mode choice. Women are more likely to travel with children, shopping, or dependants, meaning that safety, accessibility and convenience are not abstract concepts, but daily practical concerns. They depend on frequent, reliable public transport, safe walking routes, and step-free access for prams or mobility aids.
When transport networks are designed primarily around peak-hour commuter flows into city centres, they risk underserving these realities.
Safety is not a “nice to have”
For many women and girls, safety is the defining factor in how and whether they travel, as well as which mode they choose.
This is about lived experience, what is sometimes called “felt” or “social” safety, and goes beyond crime statistics:
- Poor lighting at bus stops
- Isolated walking routes
- Infrequent services that increase waiting times
- Overcrowded services
- Lack of visible staff presence
Perceived safety can be just as powerful as actual risk. If a journey feels unsafe, it may impact timing, mode, or even be avoided entirely, potentially limiting access to employment, education, healthcare and socialisation. Research consistently shows that women are more likely than men to modify their travel behaviour due to safety concerns: avoiding certain routes, travelling only at particular times, paying more for taxis, or not travelling at all.
When half the population must plan defensively simply to move around their communities, the system is not working equitably.
How we put women and girls at the centre of our work
This is not simply a theoretical challenge; it is a practical one. If transport systems can inadvertently embed inequality, they can also actively address it.
At PJA, we recognise that designing equitable transport systems requires deliberate action, and we are working to integrate this into every stage of our transport projects. We plan connected walking and cycling networks and recommend a network density that allows for different routes for different users and even different times of day, considering surrounding land uses. We design for safety and accessibility and consider elements beyond our “red line boundary” such as street lighting. We work closely with communities to understand local issues in their streets and help them articulate their vision for the future.
Acknowledging and actioning gender in transport and the built environment is increasingly recognised across the industry, with many great local examples of considering women and girls in planning and design of our cities and transport networks.
Much of the focus of these initiatives has been on safety. In 2025, the government formally recognised Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) as a national emergency, prompting detailed investigations into safety on public transport. The organisation Women in Transport reported progress in 2025, with female leadership in the transport sector rising from 26% in 2023 to 36%, reflecting broader efforts to empower women within the industry and influence safety policies from leadership positions.
Despite this progress, there is a lot more to do to achieve gender parity and work towards ensuring everyone feels safe. Calls continue for gender disaggregated data and better monitoring, alongside a more robust bus network and better pay for women in transport. The Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) Women’s Safety on Public Transport Report highlighted that improving safety requires more than enforcement, it involves culture, policy, and design of transport spaces.
Embedding a gendered lens does not mean designing transport “for women” as a separate category. It means recognising diversity in lived experience and ensuring systems are flexible, inclusive and responsive.
When we design for those whose needs have historically been overlooked, we improve outcomes for everyone: parents with buggies, older people, disabled passengers, shift workers, and young people travelling independently for the first time.
From awareness to accountability
International Women’s Day is an opportunity not just to acknowledge inequality, but to ask what structural changes are required to address it.
Transport shapes opportunity. It determines who can access jobs, who can study late, who can socialise safely, and who feels that public space belongs to them.
Seeing transport through a gendered lens challenges us to move beyond neutrality and towards intentional equity.
Because infrastructure is never just about movement – it is about freedom.
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