Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on ‘Women and Transport’ (exploratory opinion requested by the Commission)
Date: 2015-07-01
Institutions: European Economic and Social Committee
Subjects: common transport policy, equal pay, equal treatment, gender equality, position of women, reassignment, sexual discrimination, working conditions, working life








C_2015383EN.01000101.xml










17.11.2015   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 383/1





Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on ‘Women and Transport’
(exploratory opinion requested by the Commission)
(2015/C 383/01)







Rapporteur:




Ms Madi SHARMA






Co-rapporteur:




Mr Raymond HENCKS





On 8 March 2015, the European Commission decided to consult the European Economic and Social Committee, under Article 304 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, on

Women and Transport.
The Section for Transport, Energy, Infrastructure and the Information Society, which was responsible for preparing the Committee’s work on the subject, adopted its opinion on 16 June 2015.
At its 509th plenary session, held on 1 and 2 July 2015 (meeting of 1 July), the European Economic and Social Committee adopted the following opinion by 119 votes to 1 with 3 abstentions.
1.   Conclusions and recommendations









1.1


All dimensions of the transport sector — air, sea, road, rail, inland navigation, space and logistics — are traditionally male-dominated and as a result:






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transport policy is male-oriented: devised by men and centred around their lifestyle,










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employment in the sector is primarily male and is geared to male workers,










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the values embedded in the industry show little support for females in the sector and lack gender-sensitivity,










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gender consideration is absent from EU transport policy.




A snap shot of current statistics in the sector, included in Appendix 1, demonstrates the discrimination in the sector. Many of the barriers highlighted are generic to other sectors, but the transport sector is specifically poor in addressing the issues.












1.2


Hence this exploratory opinion, drawn up at the request of the EU Commissioner for Transport, focuses on the opportunities for the transport sector to better include women and generate more economic, social and sustainable growth. This report does not cover women as users of transport; however the EESC believes that an exploratory opinion on the subject could also be drawn up. Despite the failings, the situation can change by implementing gender neutral policies to support competitiveness, innovation, growth and jobs in the context of EU 2020. The new Investment Plan for Europe promoting growth and jobs must mainstream gender equality, by eliminating existing gender impediments and developing a culture of engagement and inclusiveness for both men and women to be equally active in all aspects of transport. Greater recognition of gender is needed for it to become a prominent part of EU transport policy.












1.3


The key recommendations are to:






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collect data and establish key indicators to identify and deconstruct barriers,










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ensure women are visible and active in policy- and decision-making and planning,










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proactively engage both sexes in creating a better working environment, including equal pay for equal work, within all the diversities of the sector,










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take actions towards attracting women to employment opportunities with measures to improve employment quality,










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better engage universities and career services to promote the wide scope of the sector, including technology, R&D and engineering,










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proactively promote the role of women in business,










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empower women and the sector to be more inclusive.








2.   Overview









2.1


Gender engagement in transport is complex and is not covered in depth here. Interest in transport is initiated by education, family, experience, necessity or need for innovation. Participation in the sector is the result of career opportunities offered in education institutions, qualifications, skills or networks. Remaining in the sector can be dependent on human resources development, training, upskilling and diversification, working conditions, salary, working time and work-life balance.












2.2


For women, this includes issues of safety, gender-based violence and sexual harassment from fellow workers or users. Additionally, women can face an interruption of their career through maternity and caring provision. Therefore, re-entering the sector requires flexible working arrangements, retraining and measures to avert loss of seniority/status.












2.3


Nevertheless where working conditions are good, both men and women in the sector find fulfilment, job satisfaction, high standards of training, skills development and opportunities for promotion and inclusion in decision-making. For company owners, this translates into opportunities for innovation, growth and job creation.












2.4


When analysing trends in employment, distinction should be made between mobile and non-mobile personnel in transport. Female transport employees find it more difficult to work away from home and thus in almost all transport professions except aviation, mobile jobs are male-dominated. Traditionally mobile jobs are better remunerated, thus the gender pay gap in transport becomes persistent and harder to address.












2.5


The impact of the economic crisis has also affected female employees. Pre-crisis tendencies showed that the industry opened up to women, efforts were doubled to actively recruit and promote women in transport. Much of this trend at the time was in the development of service land-based professions and investment in technologies which no longer required strength in manual labour. However, these trends were tempered by the crisis, as cost-cutting equally affected the measures needed to accompany workplace gender policies.




3.   Policy aims for better gender balance









3.1


The EESC is pleased to see Commissioner BULC, a woman, with the portfolio for transport. All too often, the gender composition in decision-making bodies is based on pigeon holes rather than on competence. For the EU transport sector to succeed with strong sustainable growth, it must have gender neutrality in its policy- and decision-making process. Women must be equally involved in both, not through positive discrimination but on merit, competence and transparency of appointments.












3.2


A higher participation of women at senior level, including as non-executive directors, has been proven to bring bottom-line benefits to companies (1). Women’s engagement within the decision-making process will assist companies, institutions and associations to innovate and bring new market insights. A gender diverse workforce promotes collaboration, understanding and tolerance and has been proven to drive competitiveness, productivity and corporate social responsibility, ensuring retention of both genders.












3.3


The EESC would thus recommend simple non-bureaucratic procedures of regular auditing and reporting of progress made by transport actors (policymakers, companies, trade unions, transport associations, stakeholders) on gender equality. This should include the education of users in overcoming stereotypes and perceptions. Women and men should be given the same opportunities to influence the creation, design and management of the transport system, where their values are given equal weight. The Commission could consider this both in their own policy dialogue and as a requirement for TEN-T project funding or R&D funding.





4.   Data collection and indicators









4.1


The EU Commission and Member States could better support the industry through data collection and statistical analyses that are gender sensitive and gender disaggregated, highlighting key areas for investment or support.












4.2


The following indicators should be considered:






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guidance and advice from secondary and tertiary education,










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qualifications and training — including secondary education through to higher education,










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recruitment salaries,










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career opportunities and barriers,










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work-life balance,










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health and safety in the workplace,










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working culture, including a breakdown by gender roles,










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women in policy- and decision-making, including at company board level,










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allocation of resources for female entrepreneurs.
















4.3


Data analysis can be used to examine the employment cycle, where there are obstacles to women’s entry and progression in the sector. Thereafter, industry-specific instruments can be created to address the weaknesses that discriminate against women.












4.4


The European Commission could further consider analysing the following:






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the distribution and allocation of public money, including EU project funding, as gender bias in the decision-making processes impacts on the use of public budgets and of public infrastructures. This should lead to the introduction of gender budgeting in European transport policy,











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the division of macroeconomic measures to counter the impact of gender bias in the development of tax policies, road pricing policies, aviation tax policy, public services policy, liberalisation policies and consumer rights policy. This would ensure gender mainstreaming in public services and in liberalisation/privatisation policies within the sector,










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collating the data to serve as a foundation, based on evidence, for future European transport policy and its processes. For example, the UK Public Transport Gender Audit highlights compliance by transport institutions in the area of gender mainstreaming.








5.   Employment: female participation









5.1


Europe has seen an increase in female participation in the labour market in all sectors in recent decades. The growth continues, and yet the transport sector remains largely unfriendly to working women. Despite a number of initiatives under the European Social Fund and the EQUAL programme, the transport sector remains a segregated industry where men are predominantly concentrated as drivers/pilots, technicians or in occupations involving physical work and a heavy workload, whereas women are predominantly in service-related and administrative jobs.












5.2


In general, restructuring in the transport sector has hit the mainly male dominated transport occupations: rail, ports and inland waterways; while more women are employed in the service activities developed within the emerging supply chains, logistics companies, etc. Today, the implementation of new technologies makes it possible for women and men equally to take up jobs in sectors that have traditionally involved heavy physical work. However, work life balance remains a problem and continues to hamper women’s employment in mobile jobs.












5.3


The general perception that certain jobs, workplaces and working time arrangements are exclusively suitable for men is wide-spread. This has considerable impact on recruitment and retention of the female workforce in occupations where women are under-represented.












5.4


With regard to equal pay, segregation in transport maintains the gender pay gap. Men are concentrated in technical jobs, regarded as more qualified, while women are predominant in administration and customer service. Men work longer hours and account for more full-time jobs in transport, whereas women tend to opt for more flexible work arrangements which have restricted opportunities. In transport, career prospects are better for men than for women. Access to male dominated jobs is still problematic, despite the fact that both men and women have equal access to vocational training. This leads to situations where women are trained in technical professions but cannot get a job to match their level of qualification. All these contribute to deepen the pay gap between women and men in transport.












5.5


A gender sensitive approach for health and safety in transport provides a number of challenges as the majority of jobs with a visible risk for occupational accidents and illnesses are male dominated. This diminishes chances for a gender differentiated approach in health and safety policies/measures. However, varying occupations, tasks, working conditions or hours worked entail different exposure to hazards.












5.6


The European Union transport sector has a high incidence of all forms of violence, where many types of incidents go unreported. Third-party violence is equally problematic in transport as women are predominantly concentrated in those transport professions involving direct contact with the customer and thus tend to be more exposed to aggressive behaviour and attacks from customers. Front desk personnel have to confront growing levels of public frustration caused by congestions, delays or lack of information during delays. In this context more should be done to encourage transport companies to adopt zero-tolerance workplace violence policies.












5.7


The EESC proposes that the revision of the 2011 White Paper Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area include a new initiative — to be added to the list in Annex I — in favour of gender equality in transport professions, namely actions attracting women to employment opportunities in the transport sector with measures to improve employment quality across all modes of transport, working conditions, training and Lifelong Learning (LLL), operational and occupational health and safety and good career opportunities, all of which contribute to a better work-life balance. Women could be better integrated into the transport sector through positive action, which requires at least new sanitary infrastructure, changing rooms and accommodation and a more reasonable assessment of continuous working time, as well as stress, repetitive movements and fatigue related to each transport mode.












5.8


A number of European sectoral social partner initiatives to make transport a better workplace for women show the industry’s awareness of the potential obstacles to be addressed. A study carried out by the rail social partners CER and the ETF on representation and better integration of women in railway professions led to recommendations whose implementation at company level is currently jointly monitored by the two organisations. The same approach is used in urban public transport by UITP and the ETF. In maritime, in 2014, ETF and ECSA developed a comprehensive training toolkit including guidelines, a video and a workbook aiming at tackling harassment on board vessels. In ports and docks, the ETF, ESPO, IDC and FEPORT recently agreed on joint recommendations with 14 action points aimed at promoting and keeping women in employment in ports.












5.9


Many organisations, including the ILO, and social partners, have already created guidelines, training packages, toolkits and codes of practice that can be used or strengthened to increase female participation in the sector. The Commission could include a strong gender dimension within the pillars of a Social, Employment and Training Observatory for Transport, as recommended in the 2011 EESC opinion on How EU policies have impacted on the job opportunities, the training needs and the working conditions of transport workers.




6.   Women in business









6.1


Entrepreneurs have become more important as providers of employment opportunities and key players, including in the transport sector (2). Today this includes engagement in the green economy, intelligent transport systems ITS, CCTV, real time planning and security.












6.2


Simple, specific policies for women-owned enterprises could bring a return on investment that would increase growth and employment opportunities in the EU. The Commission should consider creating a women’s business ownership office within the European Commission and Member States’ relevant ministries. It should be part of the ministries for economic development in order to provide a clear distinction between economic enterprise activities and gender equality responsibilities.












6.3


Furthermore the appointment of a women’s enterprise director or high-level representative within the European Commission and Member States’ with a cross-departmental role of raising awareness about the economic benefits of encouraging more women to start and grow businesses should be considered. This ‘enterprise director’ could also have responsibility for promoting the industry and the academic paths which lead to increased female entrepreneurship, such as research, science, high-tech engineering, transport engineering and IT development.




7.   Women and transport; making it happen









7.1


To overcome under-representation of women and to use the talent pool of women in the transport labour market more efficiently and extensively, the EESC recommends the following tools that could be used to build the capacity of women at all levels. This can be done through the development of EU projects within DG Transport, or in collaboration with other established EU projects (partnerships):






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develop a coordinated approach between institutions, industry associations, trade unions and stakeholders working in the sector, to establish a campaign welcoming women to the transport industry and highlighting the added value to the EU economy and social fabric of better inclusion of women in the sector. This was recently achieved by the UK Transport for London, where 100 women in the transport sector were showcased. Celebrating their success demonstrated the important role of women in transport and engaged, motivated and inspired current and future generations of female transport workers,










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equality in transport: This is not industry specific, but studies show that the inequalities in the transport sector are a key reason why women do not consider engaging more in the sector. These issues should be addressed as a priority:






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equal pay for equal work,










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transparent recruitment process,










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flexible work practices — including job sharing and part-time work opportunities,










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attracting talent — considering mature as well as young female workers, both with and without high level qualifications,










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decision-making — include more women on company boards, within management structures, within trade unions beyond membership level, and within policy making.




















7.2


Mentoring: increasing the support mechanisms, providing knowledge and experience, creating networks and giving guidance. This can be provided internally within companies and between employee levels, externally between companies and comparable transport sectors, and through established mentoring programmes without a focus solely on transport. Mentoring networks should contain both male and female participants. Furthermore, these networks can be developed into clusters and be cross-sectoral in order to allow the transfer of knowledge, best practices, skills and opportunities throughout the transport industry.












7.3


Development programs: creating the training that will allow for skills development and professional qualification attainment to increase competences without gender bias, thus ensuring equality of competence levels for recruitment or promotions.












7.4



Education: review the education system and the promotion of the roles in the transport sector to redefine the assumption that the sector is only suitable for males. Identify female role models to promote the opportunities.












7.5


Promote innovation and small business in transport: identify women working in small to medium-sized enterprises to identify new trends, innovation and R&D possibilities. Showcase successes. Best practice: the Women 1st Top 100 Club is a network of the most influential women in hospitality, passenger transport, travel and tourism, who act as ambassadors and role models for the female leaders of tomorrow (http://women1st.co.uk/top-100).












7.6



Supply chain engagement: encourage suppliers to include data on gender in their supply chain. Identify opportunities to consider procurement contracts for female-owned companies. (Best practice: the US-based initiative WEConnect offers tenders and procurement contracts especially for women across all sectors. It is now operational in Europe (http://weconnectinternational.org).












7.7



Corporate social responsibility (CSR): encourage companies to report gender statistics as part of their corporate social responsibility and engage in the promotion of women in the transport sector. Contribute to building an industry’s brand as an ‘industry of choice’ for all.












7.8


Internationalisation: Europe is valued for its knowledge transfer and partnership development. Transport is a global sector with many challenges where Europe can share its experience and innovation capacity, as well as open itself to new markets. A crucial role for women in the sector would be to promote European industry and expertise overseas.





Brussels, 1 July 2015.


The President of the European Economic and Social Committee

Henri MALOSSE




(1)  OJ C 133, 9.5.2013, p. 68.

(2)  OJ C 299, 4.10.2012, p. 24.