Transport and Workplace Accessibility: Routes to Improved Equity

Abstract

While there has been progress on a range of issues influencing gender equity in the workforce, getting to and from work can be a fundamental barrier to participation and equity. Issues such as: access to transportation, the routes taken, modes used, distance travelled, and time and money spent in transit are often shaped by gender. In this chapter we adopt an intersectional feminist lens to explore the structural inequities in transport accessibility and workplace mobilities and consider ways to begin to redress or mitigate their impact. We describe a cross-section of organizational and public policy responses to the broader societal challenge of gendered transport disadvantage primarily from an Australian perspective. We consider its impacts on equal workforce participation within the formal economy, including the mainstreaming and normalization of flexible working and transport policies. We identify a mix of transport and non-transport initiatives from selected OECD nations aimed at reducing barriers to workforce participation and contributing to improved 108workplace equity through improved accessibility and mobility, particularly for women.