THE ROUND TABLE:

A round table was held on 11th July 2005 in Boston, MA, USA as part of the TRB Committee on Women’s Issues in Transportation’s mid year meeting. It was held for one hour to understand gender issues in transportation in developing nations and to discuss measures to ensure gender considerations into transport projects. The roundtable demonstrated the importance of gender-oriented efforts in the transport sector, the value of mainstreaming gender for closing the gap between policy and practice, exchange information amongst different parties, and the building of new relationships within the transport community.

The timing of this discussion is vital as the development sector is beginning to recognize the importance of transport in the development process and the vast influence it has on other sectors. Although evidence has emerged on the need for the transport sector to reflect women’s lives and their diverse needs (reflecting in some cases income disparity, unequal access and mobility, differing tasks and responsibilities, etc), little attention has been paid to the relationship between gender and transport. The understanding of transport should aim to reflect gender perspectives especially in the context of transport policy.

The purpose of the TRB Women’s Issues in Transportation Committee (ABE70) is to identify emerging women's issues in the use of transportation; define research needs related to these issues; and stimulate, gather, and disseminate relevant research findings. The mid year meeting, which is being held at the TRB 2005 Summer Conference, will not only hold the roundtable but will discuss other activities and research statements conducted by members of the committee. For more information on the committee meeting, location and local information please go to: www.trb.org/Conferences/JointSummer/#hotel

The round table also links to the TRB proposed session and call for papers on women’s transportation issues in developing nations. The Committee would like the papers to focus on the importance of access and mobility for the achievement of universal education, gender equity, reductions in maternal mortality. In particular, focusing on the role of transport in attaining the Millennium Development Goals. This session hopes to evaluate the current state of research on women's transportation issues.

Please click here to download the proceedings of the Round Table (Word Doc 54kb)