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Source: The post is based on the article “What’s in the World Bank’s new toolkit on making urban transport better for Indian women?” published in Indian Express on 11th December 2022
What is the News?
The World Bank has released a report titled “Toolkit on Enabling Gender Responsive Urban Mobility and Public Spaces in India” with the aim of suggesting ways to make public transport in Indian cities more inclusive of women’s traveling requirements.
What are the problems faced by women in using public transport services?
Women are amongst the biggest users of public transport across Indian cities.
84% of trips taken by women for work were estimated to be by public, intermediate public, and non-motorised transport.
However, public transport services are not traditionally designed keeping in mind women’s safety and their specific travel needs.
Lack of safety, dearth of good street lighting, no reliable last mile transport and high waiting time at remote bus stops are just some of the challenges women face in this regard. This severely limits their access to work, education and life choices.
India has amongst the lowest female labour force participation rates globally, at 26.2 percent in 2020-21.
What are the recommendations given by the World Bank to enable gender-responsive urban mobility?
The World Bank has suggested a four-pillar implementation structure for urban entities to construct a gender-responsive urban transportation and public spaces programme:
First, there has to be a greater effort made to understand the on-ground situation with a gender lens.
Second, once prevailing issues are identified, policies and development plans must reflect the concerns of women. For this to happen, there must be more women in key institutions in charge of decision-making.
Third, the toolkit emphasizes on building gender sensitivity and awareness among service providers through mandatory programmes and community action.
Fourth, investment has to be made in better infrastructure and services with a focus on women-friendly design.
