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Ramboll s Gender and (Smart) Mobility Report [Helsinki, Finland]
Transport and mobility are not gender neutral. The International Transport Forum has concluded that gender is one of the most robust determinants of transport choice. Collecting gender-disaggregated data on travel behaviour, trips, needs and concerns in mobility and systematically analysing it is crucial in avoiding an unconscious bias towards men and male mobility patterns in transport and mobility planning and design. The Ramboll report77 outlines gender differences and inequalities in transport and mobility to bridge the data gender gap and create better mobility for all. The report is based on data collected from seven countries through desktop research, expert interviews, surveys and focus group interviews. Helsinki (Finland) is one city in focus.
Gender data is compiled quite comprehensively in Finnish transport statistics. However, historically Finnish transport statistics have focused on motorised transport, and therefore possibilities to make conclusions on more sustainable transport modes or long-term changes in travel choices have been limited. Collecting this data is however influential in the development of new sustainable mobility and transport planning and further supports gender mainstreaming approaches. Only 61% of women compared to 71% of men own a personal vehicle in Finland, women are also somewhat more likely to use public transport.
One reason for me to use the bus instead of car sharing on these trips is that the bus gives me flexibility.
I don t need to come back to the starting point and instead I can take a bus home from another location ,
says one Helsinki resident.
Yet, issues of personal safety on public transportation are a major concern for women. Municipalities can increase the use of this mode of transportation by making municipal investments in public transport that are gender-sensitive and consider issues of safety. A challenge for municipalities will also be the association of public transportation with the current Covid-19 pandemic. Since women use public transport more than men, this creates a real risk of growing inequalities as places open up and movement levels return in our cities. Existing research also shows that women walk to a greater extent than men, 33% versus 22% respectively, and cycle to a lesser extent than men with 8% women compared to 11% men. For both men and women walking and cycling is primarily used when grocery shopping, running household errands and going to sport and other everyday leisure activities. Having this gende-disaggregated data allows for targeted municipal infrastructure spending and service provision in a gender equal way (through gender budgeting, for instance). Improving public infrastructure such as dropped kerbs and providing crucial public services such as snow-clearing (see chapter 3D for further discussions of the role of gender-disaggregated data) can support women s access to public areas. Existing research into new mobility services (bike-sharing, scooter-sharing, car- sharing, ride-sharing etc.) show that they are, to a great extent, used more by men than women. While city bikes have a high share of female users with 55%, the associations with carsharing are very mixed; while it is associated with being sustainable , an important motivator for women to choose this transport option, it is also considered uncomfortable , limiting widespread uptake.
These gendered transport data highlight the importance of considering gender in sustainability and climate change planning (see more in chapter 6F) and adoption of smart technologies (see more in chapter 3F), important considerations for municipalities in their future-oriented infrastructure planning.
77 Ramboll (2021), idem.
Case Study
