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).
