MEP Elena Kountoura says, “It is necessary to eliminate gender discrimination against women in transport”

Europe: The challenges faced by women or girls in the transport sector were highlighted by SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance MEP Elena Kountoura in her intervention at TRAN in the context of the European week for gender equality.

The MEP referred to the gender inequalities faced by women as transport workers and, more generally, to the obstacles they face overall in their access to mobility.

One in two women believes that the workplace does not prioritise creating a safe and adequate working environment for women, according to the data cited by the MEP from the relevant extensive research of the European Transport Workers’ Federation, ETF on working conditions. The MEP also referred to the fair demands of the unions, according to which:

– The European Union’s transport policies should fully consider the needs of women by integrating the gender dimension in all its strategies and actions.

– Women’s participation in social dialogue must be strengthened.

– Workplaces must be fully adapted to women’s health and safety needs.

– Zero-tolerance policies for violence and abuse must be implemented in all workplaces, and women’s support structures must be institutionalised.

The MEP also referred to the significant lack ofdata regarding women’s movements by means of transport, which, as she emphasised, is necessary for drawing up policies that cover their real needs.

“The available data reveals that women still have different mobility needs than men as their participation in the labour market is still not equal. So policies must also be differentiated to respond to the needs of different genders effectively. For example, we have to consider that women in our society take on the role of caregiver almost exclusively in relation to men. Especially in the periphery and rural areas, the lack of forms of mobility for women can even affect women’s professional or educational opportunities,” she said.

In closing, Kountoura asked the Commission to systematically integrate the gender dimension into future policies, because “we will repeat the same problems and the same requests without improving the situation for European women”.