Think of this scene that plays out every day in Indian cities: two people leaving the same neighborhood for work at the same time. One gets on her two-wheeler, takes the fastest route and is at her workplace in twenty minutes. The other person waits at a bus stop, enduring the heat, before boarding a bus that makes several stops before reaching the right one. After another walk, she finally reaches the same destination, albeit after a strenuous 45 minutes.
They both make it to work, but the second person has already spent almost an hour battling the sun, dealing with the uneven lighting, and worrying about their safety. This scenario is not just a hypothesis, but illustrates the broader issues that urbanism poses for women in terms of their time, energy and economic opportunities.
Women travel in an Indian bus (representative image). Image source: EPA-EFE
A World Bank Report 2022 A study on gender-sensitive urban commuting found that 45.4 percent of women in India walk to work, compared to just 27.4 percent of men. This is not because women prefer to walk; This is often due to financial constraints. For many women, faster transport options such as two-wheelers, autorickshaws or taxis may be too expensive, especially given their typically lower wages. Actually, 84 percent of women’s work-related trips were made using public or non-motorized transport, which remain underfunded and poorly planned by urban planners.
A 2022 World Bank report on gender-sensitive urban commuting found that 45.4 percent of women in India walk to work, compared to just 27.4 percent of men.
The way we commute has a direct impact not only on the range of job opportunities available to us, but also on whether we can hold a job at all. A woman who relies on walking or taking the bus infrequently and unpredictably automatically reduces her job prospects. Meanwhile, her male counterpart, who has faster and cheaper transportation options, has access to a wider variety of employment opportunities. This inequality in mobility reflects an opportunity gap that is deeply embedded in our urban infrastructure.
Women don’t travel through cities in the same way as men
Women often travel differently than men. For a woman who works outside the home, for example, a typical day doesn’t just consist of driving straight from home to work and back. This includes various stations – including dropping off the children at school, shopping for groceries, and taking a parent to a doctor’s appointment. These chained journeys are not easy and unique. A subway or bus system that is designed exclusively for direct connections does not do justice to the realities of many women’s lives. This makes such transportation systems inefficient for their needs.
The impact of ignoring these commuting challenges can be seen not only in traffic data but also in employment statistics. Research in Delhi’s resettlement colonies shows that low-income women who are relocated to the outskirts of the city under the guise of rehabilitation often lose access to the local informal economy that provided them work, including domestic jobs, small markets, neighborhood networks, and nearby employers. While many men manage to get to their current job, women, who also have to take on child care and household responsibilities, often cannot afford the long and expensive journey. Make distance itself an obstacle to earning.
This is not a unique situation. A World Bank study in Mumbai found that despite commuting just as long as men, women have access to fewer employment opportunities. This is because they travel slower, cover fewer distances and reach fewer potential jobs. Both men and women may spend an hour commuting, but when women travel on foot or on slower buses, they cover much less distance than men, who often travel on two-wheelers or express trains. This related problem of time constraints and limited mobility exacerbates the challenges women face in the world of work.
Women board a crowded BMTC bus (representative image). Photo credit: The Hindu/K Murali Kumar
Although women’s labor force participation has increased, as shown by the 2023-24 Periodic Labor Force Survey, it remains significantly lower than that of men, particularly in urban areas. While transportation is just one factor contributing to this gap, it is a structural issue that cities often ignore.
What cities look like when women are included
However, some cities around the world are starting to recognize this problem and address it. For example in Senegal’s DakarThe Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system was developed keeping in mind the safety and employment needs of women. The system includes special lighting, waiting areas for women and initiatives to recruit female drivers and employees. When women can see themselves represented on the transport network, their attitude towards public transport changes from one of fear to one of empowerment.
When women can see themselves represented on the transport network, their attitude towards public transport changes from one of fear to one of empowerment.
In Rio de Janeiro the city offered free bus tickets for women escaping domestic violence, recognizing that transportation costs can place women in dangerous situations. By removing the financial barriers to accessing emergency shelter or legal assistance, this initiative became an essential safety measure.
Quito Metro Line 1. Image source: Emily Mondragon/Wikimedia Commons
Also in Ecuador, Quito’s Metro Line 1 aimed to employ women to make up nearly 40 percent of its workforce while enforcing anti-harassment measures within the system. The reason for this is simple: a female-staffed subway creates an environment in which harassment is less tolerated and can be more easily addressed. Additionally, female passengers are becoming advocates who are transforming public spaces from zones of discomfort to areas of safety and engagement.
These examples illustrate an important truth: transportation is not just a technical matter; It is a deeply political matter. Decisions about transportation infrastructure and hiring practices directly impact who benefits and how.
Affordable transportation alone is not enough
However, India has also made some progress in this regard. Delhi Safetipin initiative conducts safety audits to identify dangerous locations in the city and improve lighting and infrastructure based on women’s safety concerns. By examining where women feel unsafe during their daily travels, we can take concrete steps to improve infrastructure. In a world where daily commuting is an essential part of life, considering these gendered needs in urban planning is crucial for a more equitable society.
By examining where women feel unsafe during their daily travels, we can take concrete steps to improve infrastructure. In a world where daily commuting is an essential part of life, considering these gendered needs in urban planning is crucial for a more equitable society.
Some Indian cities, including Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, have introduced free or subsidized metro and bus rides for women. These fare subsidies have expanded access for certain women in these areas. However, lower fares or no fares alone do not address the issues surrounding route network, frequency, lighting at bus stops, or the design of systems designed to accommodate the typical 9-to-5 commute. They only reduce costs slightly without adapting the service to women’s actual journeys.
Image source: Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters
Who the city was built for
Describe what an Indian city is seriously considering Women’s mobility would look like is not particularly complicated. There would be bus stops that are well lit and have toilets. The routes would reflect the places where care work takes place, such as markets, schools, clinics and care centers, rather than just office locations. For women who work in households, hospitals and night shifts, services would take place early and late enough. Women would be employed in significant numbers as drivers, conductors and security guards. Before and after these changes are introduced, safety audits would be carried out on the routes and the results would be made publicly available.
The issues of transport and care are two sides of the same coin and are essential for assessing whether a city is designed for the full participation of women.
Such a city would also recognize that transportation planning cannot be separated from child care infrastructure, as the World Bank toolkit clearly states. A woman who cannot afford daycare near her work cannot take a job, no matter how cheap the bus ticket is. The issues of transport and care are two sides of the same coin and are essential for assessing whether a city is designed for the full participation of women.
A woman and a child on a Blue Line Metro train in New Delhi. Image source: Arun Sharma/Hindustan Times
Today’s city was built primarily for commuters who have someone at home to care for them, who can afford a two-wheeler or a taxi, and who travel in one direction at predictable times. This idea of the typical commuter does not apply to most women. The design decisions that arise from imagining this commuter as the norm – such as route networks, fare structures, lighting budgets and timetables – come with costs that women bear every day. They spend more time, energy and limited income navigating the city than their male counterparts.
A city that expects women to move like men is not designed for women at all. It was created for a specific type of person and is simply described as universal. The necessary adjustments go beyond simple changes such as ramps or reserved seating. They require the recognition that mobility is synonymous with access and that this access is, by design, unequally distributed.
