Developing a gender and mobility policy assessment tool: south africa as a pilot country

Abstract

Meaningfully addressing women's mobility needs is essential for enhancing women’s access to transport options, access to economic opportunities and services, and boosting economic development in general in a country. Transportation must consider the views and needs of the 50% of the population that are women, whether these women are transport workers, transport users, or transport decision-makers. South Africa is no exception. Transport that is not fit for purpose matters for all residents, but it matters differently for women. In South Africa, lack of access to transport and mobility resources entrenches existing gender inequity and hinders women’s development. While inadequate access to health, restricted social engagement, and poor education, are among other outcomes of transport poverty experienced by both men and women, women already start at lower levels in all these poverty dimensions. This paper reports on a novel mobility gender policy and gap analysis and its first test application in South Africa, and includes an overview of the method, main findings, and recommended actions. To ensure replicability outside the pilot country, the assessment relies mostly on desk research, including existing literature and online data and information, complemented by stakeholder engagement. The assessment was developed at the request of the Sustainable Mobility for All (SuM4All) partnership, with financial support from the World Bank Group and Michelin Corporate Foundation. This work informs a broader sustainable mobility diagnostic being carried out in South Africa by the World Bank, at the request of the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA).