Master Thesis Master's Programme in Nordic Welfare, 60 credits
Pursuing Women-Empowerment in the Public Transport System
A case study in Sweden
Thesis - Health and Lifestyle, 15credits
Halmstad 2020-10-16 Leila Emami HALMSTAD UNIVERSITY
Pursuing Women-Empowerment in the Public Transport System A case study in Sweden
Master's program in the Nordic welfare Thesis Health and Lifestyle – HL8031
Author Leila Emami
Supervisor Marta Cuesta
Examiner Linus Andersson
October 2020 Halmstad
Abstract
This case study applies women's empowerment and feminist theories to discuss the transport system's possible link with women empowerment and understand how a gender-responsive transport system based on women's complex needs would empower them and improve their status of health and well-being. The research area is two small urban in Sweden with less than 1500 populations. The present study investigates the local women's mobility behavior to discover their daily travel challenges. Moreover, determining whether the local transport project, including the train station's commencement, is gender-aware in the policymaking and implementation part and conscious about the gender-mainstreaming and gender- equality policies. This research practices the qualitative method by employing semi- structured interviews with a small sample-group of women in the regions. The interpretation of data is being used as the theoretical knowledge approach. Besides, when the COVID-19 pandemic changed people's mobility behavior, they avoided using public transport for safety measurements and working from home. The research's last aim is to observe any change in people's mindset, behavior, and their trust level in public transport. The result shows a clear connection between the transportation system and women's empowerment and their well-being. The study presents having gender-awareness perspectives, and raising gender consciousness is necessary if the ultimate aim is designing an equitable transport system to support women empowerment. The research demonstrates that women still trust and prefer the public transport system and are ready to use it again after the COVID-19 and familiar situation.
Keywords: gender-empowerment, women mobility, daily travel, public transport, subjective well-being, Sweden.
Table of contents 1- Introduction ...... 1 2- Background ...... 3 2-1- Introduction...... 3 2-2- Gender Mainstreaming ...... 3 2-3- Gender Mainstream in the Transport Section ...... 4 2-4- Gender Mainstream in Sweden and Including in the Transport Section .... 5 2-5- Malmo, a City in Sweden as a Model ...... 6 3-Previous Studies ...... 8 3-1- Gender Differences in Mobility ...... 8 3-2- Transportation and Women's Employment ...... 8 3-3- Women's Unique Needs in Transport ...... 10 3-4- Safety, Accessibility, and Affordability of Transport System ...... 11 3-5- Women and Transport Limitation in Rural Areas ...... 12 3-6- Women Participation in Policymaking ...... 13 3-7- Women and Environmental Transportation ...... 14 3-8- Women's Travel Pattern in Sweden ...... 15 4-Theoretical Framework ...... 17 4-1- Nila Kabeer's Theory of Empowerment ...... 17 4-2- Different Approach to Gender Empowerment and Gender Equality ...... 18 4-3- Gender Mainstreaming in Society ...... 18 4-4- Transportation System and Gender Empowerment...... 20 5-Problem Definition and Aims ...... 21 6-Methods...... 23 6-1- Design ...... 23 6-2- Data Gathering ...... 23 6-3- Sampling ...... 25 6-4- Data Processing and Analysis ...... 26 6-5- Ethics ...... 27 6-6- Validity, Credibility, Generalization, and Reliability ...... 27 6-7- Limitations ...... 28 6-8- Study Setting and Design ...... 28 7- Results ...... 29 7-1- Schedule, Connection Points, and Duration of Travel ...... 30 7-2- Dependence, Cultural Norms, and Ethnic Group Behavior on Using the Private Car ...... 31 7-3 Reliance on Family Members or Others ...... 33 7-4- Safety ...... 34 7-5- Employment, Education, and Social Life ...... 35 7-6- The Future Opportunity and People Perspective on Future ...... 36 7-7- Women Environmental View ...... 38 7-8- Women's Household and Child-care Responsibility ...... 39 7-9- Covid-19 and Public Transportation...... 40 7-10- Gender Equality and Gender Mainstreaming Perspective in the Project42 8- Discussion ...... 44 8-1- Gender Equality and Gender Empowerment in the Public Transportation System ...... 44 8-2- Gender Mainstreaming in the Public Transportation System...... 50 9-Conclusion ...... 52
References ...... 55 Appendix (I) ...... 57 Appendix (II) ...... 58 Question from actors of the project ...... 58 Gender mainstreaming ...... 58 Covid-19 ...... 59 Appendix (III)...... 60 Question from women in the area ...... 60 Covid-19 ...... 61
1- Introduction
Gender is one of the critical variables that influence people's travel patterns and needs. Public transport is supposed to be effective and gender-based. Several research pieces confirm inequalities in mobility and indicate that women have inferior access to private and public transport systems worldwide. The public transport system in Europe needs more specific measures and actions to apply equity and sustainability. Besides, a careful review of previous studies confirms the lack of gender-mainstreaming in the transport system and women's insufficient role in planning the transport policies and the decision-making part. They indicate that transportation is a male-dominant sector that would adversely affect women's' mobility.
Mobility is one of the principal rights of humans in society, and all citizens should equally enjoy an accessible and useful transport system despite their gender, ethnic background, social status, level of income, age, physical, or psychological states. However, we still can see all over the world in both developed and developing countries; women face limitations in their daily mobility and have different challenges that negatively affect their life activities.
Many people in Nordic countries live in small and less populated areas. In 2016, around 45% of the Nordic population still lived in areas with less than 2000 inhabitants (Grunfelder, Rispling, & Norlén, 2018, p. 36). In Nordic countries, including Sweden, the population is mostly concentrated on beachfront living and closeness to nature with more rural characteristics. The culture and the pattern of living in these small areas are similar across the Nordic region. It is critical to consider the public transport system to be gender-aware and efficient enough to satisfy women's' specific mobility needs and create the opportunity for women in these small areas to have smooth and easy access to the labor market, health-care, and social activities.
The present research aims to study gender mainstreaming in the transportation system and the positive effect of a gender-equal transport system on women's well- being and empowerment. This research is a case study that explicitly concentrates on a long-term project in the Veinge and Knäred, two small Laholm municipality's cities in Sweden with less than 1500 populations. The only available public transport in areas is buses with a limited schedule. The project started in 2017, and the plan is the commencement of the train station in the region by 2030. The study explores how involved politicians and decision-makers in this project imply gender-equal measures to fulfill the women's unique needs in the transportation system, how this transport project will influence the women's health and well- being in the future and would empower them, and what is women's mobility challenges and needs. Moreover, for equality in the transport system, gender mainstreaming should apply in different policies, from planning, evaluating, implementing, and managing. This research examines the application of gender-
1 mainstreaming in the project.
This study begins with a historical review of gender-equality and gender- mainstreaming worldwide and following in Sweden. For addressing the research's questions, the research reviews various studies and data about women's different mobility needs and norms from men; women's challenging and issues in their daily movement; the different mobility pattern between women that depends on their age, economic resources, social class; rural women's' public transport problems; women environmental perspective, and gender mainstreaming in the transport system. The Following presents the analysis's method conducted to do the research. The research adopts a qualitative approach by phone semi-structured interviews because of the government's social-distancing measurements during the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants are two female actors who work in the municipality and are involved in the project, and four women live in the area and use the local public transport. Finally, the research tries to conclude the result and discuss the correlation between gender-aware public transport system and its effect on women empowerment.
2 2- Background
2-1- Introduction
The Background and Previous studied chapters will present a clear picture of the knowledge and research studies on women's specific needs in the transportation system, which is different from men in many aspects.
Much research has been done to analyze the daily travel patterns of people. They refer to factors that affect people's travel manners and create different travel needs and habits, including social and physical states, individual motives, and personal resources. The transportation system is mainly not sufficient for these differences and harms the quality of citizens' lives. Women are among those groups whom their travels' needs are not evaluated correctly in most societies. Studies show that women behave differently in their daily mobility, their daily travel distance, the number of their trips, and their travel purposes are different from men. They have less access to economic resources than men and face more physical, cultural, and psychological obstacles in society. Furthermore, they often take different household responsibility divisions, which are usually divided unequally between men and women.
The previous studies argue that an un-equal transport system limits women's access to essential opportunities for their health and well-being, including hospitals, training centers, labor market, and participation in social activities, meeting friends or family. On the contrary, an efficient transportation system can provide women with social and economic opportunities and help them have easy access to the labor market and job opportunities. A sound transportation system can reduce the labor market gap between men and women and will empower women.
Studies show that women have less access to economic resources and private cars in urban and rural areas. They are more dependent on the public transport system because of lower costs. Therefore, to fulfill a gender-equal transport system, the women's unique needs in transportation need to be considered. Women particular travel need is a local, more flexible, and available transport system.
2-2- Gender Mainstreaming
Gender mainstreaming, as an outstanding global strategy, was established to take action, in the United Nations Fourth World Conference platform on Women, in Beijing in 1995. And, gender mainstream strategy tries to verify across entire policies, from analyzing issues and formulation of policy options. It emphasis that gender differences and inequalities need to recognize, the gender gaps need to narrow, and greater equality between women and men needs to establish. Based on the definition in the ECOSOC(ECOSOC) agreed on conclusions (1997/2), Gender mainstreaming strategy is a process to assess the gender equality and
3 perspective implications in any planned action including, legislation, policies, or programs at all levels and areas. This strategy seeks to make women's concerns and experiences an integral dimension in all dimensions of reparation, design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of policies and programs in all political, economic, and societal spheres. The objective is to achieve equality between men and women and combating discrimination (ECOSOC)
In Europe in 1999, following the Beijing fourth World conference, in the Amsterdam Treaty, the equality between men and women was considered an essential task in the European legislation (Article 2EC). Since then, in Europe, any discrimination is prohibited, and following the gender mainstreaming in all European policies is required (Article 13(1) EC ), and one article is stabilized to declare the principle for equal treatment between men and women in access to goods and services (2004/113/EC).
2-3- Gender Mainstream in the Transport Section
The gender gap in the transport system still exists even in most developed countries. The studies confirm that young children could reduce a woman's mobility in Sweden, while it may not affect a man (Gustafson, Work-related travel, gender and family, 2006, p. 513). However, the gender gap in transportation will be less with having more educated women, more women's employment rate, and the change in society's cultural attitude toward women's roles (European Commission 2014 ). Feminist theories comply that people's mobility behavior is gendered, and a sufficient mobility system can create gender power. The main aim of gender equality is to provide the same opportunity for men and women. They believe that gender-mainstreaming should be implied in the transport system to achieve a sustainable transport system.
While the effort of the united nation and European Union is creating a gender- equal society, following the same strategy in the transportation section is essential as it helps people to get access to the labor market, healthcare, education facilities, and it plays a critical role in the individual's health and well-being. Transport projects and policies should equally benefit men and women, but professional studies show that transport is not gender natural (European Institute for Gender Equality ). These gaps are seen in access to transport infrastructure and services, segregation in the transport labor market, weak representation of women in the decision–making process, and gender-based violence in the transport system (European Institute for Gender Equality ).
In 2008, the UN introduced gender issues in the transport agenda. The report mentioned that women's specific needs in the transportation section are not considered globally, while transport can boost women's productivity and promote gender equality. The next UN action regarding gender mainstream in the transport section was in 2015 while adapted the 2030 agenda on sustainable goals. In that report, the transportation part emphasizing the safe, affordable, accessible, and sustainable transport system and improve road safety for all citizens, mainly by 4 expanding the public transport system, and with particular attention to the needs of vulnerable members of society such as women, children, people with disabilities, and older people(https://eige.europa.eu/gender- mainstreaming/policy-areas/transport).
With the new regulations, new parental models, new technology, new forms of work, and development in the labor market that boost more women participation in the labor market, it is likely to create more variable mobility patterns and urge the necessity for considering the appropriate transport policies to achieve both sustainability goals and gender-specific mobility needs (Maffii, Malgieri, & Di Bartolo, CIVITAS Policy Note: Gender equality and mobility; mind the gap, 2020, p. 7).
2-4- Gender Mainstream in Sweden and Including in the Transport Section
Sweden has a feminist government, and gender equality is a priority for society. As a forerunner country regarding gender equality, the government must apply a gender-equal perspective in its entire work. Furthermore, it is a priority for all political parties and organizations to work actively with gender equality issues. Equality in society is about fairness and equal distribution of economic and political power and valuing women and men in a balanced way.
Based on Swedish rules established in 1999, the overall goal of gender equality policy is to provide the same opportunity for the men and women with the same rights and obligations in all essential life areas. The even distribution of power, the same economic independence, the same business conditions, the same employment development opportunities, equal access to training and opportunities for personal development, shared home and children responsibilities, and freedom from gender-based violence. Furthermore, in society still, there is some unequal social structure that the effort and aim are to change them, including:
Men are the norm, and women are the exception.
Men are superior, and women are inferior.
Men have a higher power, and women less (Skrivelse 1999/2000:24, 6).).
Inserting a gender-balanced perspective in the transportation system is essential for the Swedish government to achieve sustainability. Merritt Polk (Polk, Gender equality & transport policy in Sweden, 2003, p. 29) explains the processes of inserting gender equality in transport policy in Sweden as below:
For the first time, gender equality came into transport policy in the 1997 committee proposal (SOU 1997:35). The goal was to integrate gender equality following the 1996 guidelines of gender equality legislation as 'equal rights, responsibilities, and possibilities within all life (Skrivelse 1996/97:41). In 1997,
5 one document presented that talked about the different travel patterns of men and women. It explained the gender travel pattern based on different social roles and that women work predominantly within certain occupations, women travel fewer business trips, earn less salary, work shorter hours, and have more responsibility at home(SOU 1997:35). The report also stated that because women hold greater responsibilities for the households, they prefer to work closer to home (1997:35, 444). In the 1997 description, the next section considered the decision-making and planning sector in public transport and traffic planning, which showed less representation of women, especially in leadership roles.
Following the above background report, in March 1998, the government proposed establishing a Gender Equality Council to investigate the connections between gender equality and the communication sector (Proposition 1997/98:56 ). The topics to be covered were physical planning, traffic planning, strategies for the environment, safety, transportation technologies, and competence and recruiting within the sector. The report resulting from this council, Gender equality – transportation and IT, is thus far the most thorough application of gender equality in transport policy (SOU 2001:44).
On the individual level, the most attention topics were travel patterns and attitudes towards transportation modes. This report brought up three main points regarding women's and men's attitudes toward transportation. First, women are more positive about public transport. Second, women's travel patterns are environmental. Third, the car is more connected to masculine identity than a feminine one (SOU 2001:44 ).
One of the fundamental points in the transport system was in 2001 that the Swedish government considered gender equality as the sixth goal in the transport policy (1-Accessibility, 2-environmental, 3-Effectivity, 4-Regional development, 5- Safety, 6-Gender equality) (Proposition 2001/02:20).
Polk (POLK, 2008, p. 232) argues that Sweden has been trying to integrate gender equality into the transportation system's political levels since 1990. However, research shows that it has been practically unsuccessful due to predominately male decision-makers, ignorance of gender equality as a relevant goal, lack of knowledge and expertise, lack of material, lack of financial resources, and lack of systematic strategy for dealing with gender equality.
2-5- Malmo, a City in Sweden as a Model
One good example of integrating a gender perspective in policy objectives in Sweden is the city of Malmo. In 2011, The Malmo municipality started to discuss and consult with secondary school students, representatives of female-dominated workplaces, politicians, administrators, and commercial employees, representing free time activities to debate gender issues in the transportation system. The result of this meeting was some new implementations in policies. One application was to increase the safety for women in the transportation system by taking some actions
6 such as making the bus stops as safe as possible with enough lights, removing the bushes around the bus stops, and eliminating the dark access ways to bus stops. Another motion was to start two new tram lines in Malmo, which some specific actions considered for men and women equal participation in the planning process and encourage women to give their opinion during the planning process (European institute for gender equality).
7 3-Previous Studies
3-1- Gender Differences in Mobility
Diverse research over a long time confirms that men and women's travel pattern is different, and gender is an essential factor in people's travel patterns to address. Women have more similar travel behavior in different cities compare with the men in their towns. This fact support that gender has a significant impact on travel behavior more than other aspects such as environment, transport service, age, or income (NG & Acker, February 2018, p. 15).
Women's traveling patterns show that they have specific travel preferences, and the deep inequalities in societies cause these differences (Peters, Gender and Sustainable Urban Mobility, 2013, p. 1). We can refer to some of these factors, including physical differences, power distribution, women vulnerability, and their psychological, social, and economic situation that create different transport patterns between men and women (Kerry, Linda, Frances, & Jeff, 2005, p. IV).
Nevertheless, we should not consider women a homogenous group with the same travel behavior. Women in different countries might have other commute behavior and travel needs. Studies show that these differences include different sociocultural norms, economic resources, and various societies' policies. Also, women in the same country have divergent behavior based on their ethnicity, age, income, culture, educational background, disability status, and sexual orientation. This distinct behavior would affect the mobility and the travel pattern (Loukaitou- Sideris, A gendered view of mobility and transport: next steps and future directions, 2016, p. Page 1 of 15).
Moreover, women's travel behavior might change in different life stages, and some factors might influence their mobility needs and preference. The significant factors that influence women's trip behavior are employment situation, caregiving duties, the birth of a child, household structure, living alone, or the age that might change in life circles, which significantly influences women's travel patter (Madariaga, From Women in Transport to Gender in Transport: Challenging Conceptual Framework for Improved Policymaking, 2013, p. 48).
Travel researches refer to other factors that have an impact on men and women different travel pattern such as, their different mobility attitude, different travel needs, different gender rules, employment status, income, and education (Polk, Are women potentially more accommodating than men to a sustainable transportation system in Sweden?, 2003, p. 77).
3-2- Transportation and Women's Employment
Over time, women's participation in the labor market and social activities is increasing, and the traditional society perspective regarding childcare as the specific women's duty is changing. Still, in many societies, women are forced to
8 handle multiple tasks and combine their job responsibilities with their childcare duties. Women mainly have the responsibility for arranging the family life. They manage the children's bedtime, children's activities, food preparation, and cleaning. The care-work activities are critical human activities that need to be valued and studied, and considered. Care- work is including all necessary maintenance activities of the home and care of dependents such as children, the young, or the old. Many women face extreme time poverty in some cycles of their life. The time poverty refers to the lack of time that a woman would spend for leisure or health, a load of caretaking tasks, and insufficient transportation system takes much time for women (Madariaga, From Women in Transport to Gender in Transport: Challenging Conceptual Framework for Improved Policymaking, 2013, p. 52). The division between family and work responsibilities affects women's employment conditions, income level, and mobility needs. For fulfillment of these duties, an excellent transportation facility and the system is necessary (Madariaga, From Women in Transport to Gender in Transport: Challenging Conceptual Framework for Improved Policymaking, 2013, p. 49).
Often women face time poverty in the cities that restrict their mobility. Restriction in mobility influences their job responsibilities and sometimes forces them to work part-time jobs, miss the promotions, or unable to work at all. Women prefer to make a shorter work trip and do the positions close to their homes because of poverty in their time. They are more likely to trip chain or work closer to home, or sometimes they force to stay at home if their trip to the job takes a long time (Peters, Gender and Sustainable Urban Mobility, 2013, p. 3).
The employment rate of women is fewer because of home and care responsibilities. In Europe, women spending more time in unpaid home jobs, while fathers work more outside the home. Many women do part-time jobs, and women are mainly considered for the low-wage profession more than men. As a result, they have fewer financial resources. Besides the lower employment rate, lower women's wages, and more part-time jobs, these unequal loads of household responsibilities create differences between men and women in their travel needs. It is critical to pay more attention to better transport services and access to private transport modes if we want to reduce the gender gap in the labor market (Maffii, Malgieri, & Di Bartolo, CIVITAS Policy Note: Gender equality and mobility; mind the gap, 2020, p. 13).
For many women, un-paid household responsibilities are superior to their jobs while they have to spend much time on transportation between home and job place. When work-related travel interferes with family responsibilities, especially for women with small children, women might prefer to limit their daily trips and travel a shorter distance to save more time for these responsibilities. A woman is more likely to quit her job or work part-time due to parental status. This decision limits their potential in the labor market, and they might miss many employment chances (Gustafson, Work-related travel, gender and family, 2006, p. 517).
9 A regular income source will increase the women's investment in their well-being and the well-being of other household members, especially children, and support them with a more excellent voice and agency in the household (Duflo, 2012, p. 1076). Based on WHO, reducing inequality is crucial if we want to improve economic efficiency, productivity, and environmental sustainability. Women should be economic-independence, and they have to be robust and independent in their home and society. To reduce inequality and poverty, women's access to decent work and the labor market is essential.
To conclude this part, an efficient transport system could affect women's empowerment in the labor market, which could positively impact women's independence, the level of their income, and their well-being.
3-3- Women's Unique Needs in Transport
Women travel pattern is more complicated than men. They have different needs and preference that is essential to fulfilling by the transport system. For a gender- equal transport system, a more flexible transport system with a more variable schedule is necessary to address women's needs.
While the primary purpose of men trips is for work and business purposes, women prefer to reduce work-related trips to save time. Women's travel destination is often not their workplace and is often to shopping centers, schools, hospitals, and health centers (Maffii, Malgieri, & Di Bartolo, CIVITAS Policy Note: Gender equality and mobility; mind the gap, 2020, p. 20).
Women are more inclined to use public transport than men since their travel distance is short (TIWARI, 2014, p. 5). However, the complicated part is related to their preference to travel outside the rush hours and their needs for non- commuting and chain trips that might not well-provided by public transport (NG & Acker, February 2018, p. 16). While men mainly travel a longer distance and single destination to and from the workplace, women conduct multi-purpose chained trips with shorter distances to accomplish household chores. They often lead more trips per day, and the trips are usually more than two points and to different destinations (NG & Acker, February 2018, p. 15). Therefore, they must spend the least time on their travel. They often conduct daily non-work-related complex activities, which force them to travel for a wider variety of purposes. They handle multiple daily tasks except for their employment responsibility, which is their primary household responsibilities for childcare, elderly care, or domestic works. They experience the travel, which is related to more complex and challenging activities associated with their household multiple tasks, including shopping, assistant the kids, or dependent older people (Maffii, Malgieri, & Di Bartolo, CIVITAS Policy Note: Gender equality and mobility; mind the gap, 2020, p. 7). They mostly travel not alone, and they often accompany children to or from school or helping them with their after extra school activities. Also, trips related to medical visits for children or the elderly are mainly women's responsibilities (Peters, Gender and Sustainable Urban Mobility, 2013, p. 2). They often travel 10 with overburdened groceries. It is challenging for women to use the public transportation system while combining different trips and carry parcels (European Commission, 2014). It is also more likely for a woman to be a single- parent in most societies and burden the children's responsibility (Kerry, Linda, Frances, & Jeff, 2005, p. 5).
Women's travel time is also different from men's. Women mainly prefer to travel outside the rush hours in the morning and the afternoon to accomplish their household duties, while men have mostly fixed travel time to work (Maffii, Malgieri, & Di Bartolo, CIVITAS Policy Note: Gender equality and mobility; mind the gap, 2020, p. 20) (NG & Acker, February 2018, p. 6).
An excessive number of women are among the vulnerable social groups with specific transport needs (Madariaga, From Women in Transport to Gender in Transport: Challenging Conceptual Framework for Improved Policymaking, 2013, p. 49). The increasing aging population and longer life expectancy in women cause more alone older women who might live in a low economic situation. Also, single mothers or working mothers who take the most caretaking responsibilities are among the vulnerable groups. Moreover, some rural women, ethnic minority women, disabled women, older women, low-income women, unemployed women, young women, students, pregnant women, or domestic abuse victims might face specific transport issues.
3-4- Safety, Accessibility, and Affordability of Transport System
Safety and security are some of the essential factors from the gender perspective for a sustainable transport system. Access to public transport should be easy for all members of society. Women must have a safe and secure journey to employment opportunities with the public transport system; otherwise, it will harm their life quality. Safety should be guarantee during the whole trips from the route to the stations, during the waiting time, and inside the vehicle. The safe and secure travel to employment opportunities should be a guarantee for all women.
Despite the recent awareness against women violence in public transport spaces and the development of the public transport system, still, in any part of the world, women feel uncomfortable. Even in developed countries, women do not have access to public transport equal to men, and sexual and physical assault might limit their rights (Madariaga, From Women in Transport to Gender in Transport: Challenging Conceptual Framework for Improved Policymaking, 2013, p. 48). Women are more vulnerable to physical and social harassment.
The research shows that women are mainly concerned about unstaffed stations, low lighting, isolation, walking at night, or waiting at bus stops or platforms in isolated areas. Good public transport networks also are essential because some districts might be unsafe.
Studies have indicated that many women afraid to go out at night, and they feel a
11 greater fear of crime than men. The presence of police, video cameras, and the reliability of services is critical to dealing with safety issues and meeting their needs (Duchène, 2011, p. 15).
Civitas' policy note, "Gender equality and mobility" (Maffii, Malgieri, & Di Bartolo, CIVITAS Policy Note: Gender equality and mobility; mind the gap, 2020, p. 36), explains some measures to contribute to public transport designing for more gender-sensitive mobility. The gender safety needs to concerns about traveling outside daylight hours, the introduction of night buses and night taxies, also, it is useful if women are allowed to exit public transportation closer to their final destination outside the regular bus stops in darkness, and adequate lightening is significant around the bus stops. Awareness of bus drivers is another critical point for the safety of women. The stations' design and provide lifts, considering some places in stations for caring children, width and safety designed pedestrian with enough light to accommodate traveling, parking space for pregnant women near to stops, and other vital points for women's smooth travel.
The cost of travel is another critical point in women's public transport, and the price of transit fare for multi-stop journeys should not be high (Peters, Gender and Sustainable Urban Mobility, 2013, p. 35).
3-5- Women and Transport Limitation in Rural Areas
Transport literature pays little attention to women's transportation in rural districts. Women need to travel for their social and economic activities. Often leading a journey is so challenging for women that became their main obstacle to getting access to resources and services while improving their financial situation. Transport infrastructure and resources are providing low services to meet the complex travel needs of multi-tasking women.
The available evidence confirms that transport infrastructure and resources, which are well developed in many urban areas, have much incompetency in rural areas in many developed countries. Insufficient public transport affects women's lives more, and the conditions are getting worse for them who face more social constraints.
The primary aim of public transport in rural areas is generally to provide links to cities. Also, in suburban areas, public transportation is designed to link people to the city center (Duchène, 2011, p. 9), and less attention is given to smooth the trips within the residential areas. The service schedules are mainly based on working hours for customers to reach the workplace while women often travel the off-peak hours to do childcare duties (Duchène, 2011, p. 7).
According to Hirt (Hirt A, Stuck in the Suberb? Gendered perspective on living at the edge of the post-communist city, 2008, p. 352), the suburb living might increase some women's hardship. People are more dependent on private cars in rural areas, while most families own one car, mainly husband use it for work travel.
12 Women are dependent on the public transport system, which in many cases is insufficient. Women with less economic resources and less access to a private car might remotely have social activities. The issue is more difficult for mothers with young children, and they might experience exclusion. It is very challenging for them to maintain their social activities and to keep their professional life. This condition encourages them to be more dependent on self-employment jobs.
Bamberger (Maramba & Bamberger, A Gender Responsive Monitoring and Evaluation System for Rural Travel and Transport Programs in Africa, 2001) discusses this insufficiently in the transportation system in Africa. The main reason for the inability of rural transport to meet women's needs is not including women in designing transportation projects. In rural areas, mainly men who are the household's head are consulted (Maramba & Bamberger, A Gender Responsive Monitoring and Evaluation System for Rural Travel and Transport Programs in Africa, 2001, p. 29), and the project is planning based on their information without female group discussions or female staff information. For active rural transport, women need to be involved and consulted from the data collection process. Their transport needs and priorities should be considered. The economic and cultural issues that negatively affect women's access to the transport system should be identified and answered. The project's positive and negative impact on women should evaluate. Female staff can facilitate women's participation in the project and addressing the women's issues in the project. Moreover, the team should educate about gender analysis and mainstream (Maramba & Bamberger, A Gender Responsive Monitoring and Evaluation System for Rural Travel and Transport Programs in Africa, 2001, p. 31).
In rural areas, the transport system must be designed following household members' needs, including men, women, children, and students. For women in rural areas, an excellent transport facility could significantly impact their welfare and economic opportunities (Maramba & Bamberger, A Gender Responsive Monitoring and Evaluation System for Rural Travel and Transport Programs in Africa, 2001, p. 2).
3-6- Women Participation in Policymaking
In both developed and developing countries, women have less opportunity to be involved in the decision-making process, especially in the transport section, a dominant male sector. The lack of women involvement in some parts of transport is more visible, especially in professional positions such as management or in the decision-making process, and women are occupied mainly in service parts.
In many countries, the participation of women in transport-related jobs becomes more important. The employment of women in the transport section and the decision-making part could improve the transport sector's effectiveness and could reduce poverty in society (Duchène, 2011, p. 6). Women's participation in the transport sector will also increase gender equality and increase attention to providing secure and comfortable public transport (Peters, Gender and 13 Sustainable Urban Mobility, 2013, p. 27).
Men are mainly concern about travel times and speed. In comparison, women considerin reducing transit time, flexibility, affordability, security, and comfort. Women are more aware of their needs than men, who are mainly the transportation system designer. Women understand better their mobility needs, environmental barriers, and limitations. While the transport system is male- dominant (Duchène, 2011, p. 12) to prevent structuring policymaking and planning based on masculine norms, it is equally important to introduce both the feminine norms and gender norms (Annica Kronsell, 2016, p. 709).
Greed (Greed, 2008) argues in the book, "Are we there yet? Women and transportation revisited" that women must take part in different levels if we want to have a gender-equal transport system in society as cited in research by Peters (Peters, Gender and Sustainable Urban Mobility, 2013, p. 44) as below:
Firstly the women's participation is essential in the planning team. The presence of enough female participants to integrate the gender perspective in the early stage of the process is crucial. In this part, the women's multiple roles as employees and caretakers need to consider. Planers should pay enough attention to their trip behavior to implement a sound transport system.
Secondly, in the piloting part, both women and men from different ages, different social or ethnic groups need to evaluate the applied policy's effectiveness.
Thirdly, in the implementation part, the awareness of people regarding gender issues is a crucial point.
Finally, it is necessary to continuously assess the system's performance and address gender mainstreaming. The essential points, security, flexibility, and affordability, need to be addressed (Peters, Gender and Sustainable Urban Mobility, 2013, p. 44).
3-7- Women and Environmental Transportation
Besides the above facts, another critical result in women's participation in the transportation system is environmental public transport development. Women mainly have a greener attitude than men regarding transportation and choose more environmental-friendly behavior in their daily mobility. They are more worried about car reduction and are more sensitive toward a sustainable transportation system and removal of environmental pollution caused by travel. Also, in Sweden, women tend to have an ecological transportation system than men (Polk, Are women potentially more accommodating than men to a sustainable transportation system in Sweden?, 2003, p. 75).
14 Women are more likely to support and accept sustainable and green policies. They are more concerned about climate change and are more prepared to adapt and accept policies that support and implement sustainable and environmental transport systems (Maffii, Malgieri, & Di Bartolo, CIVITAS Policy Note: Gender equality and mobility; mind the gap, 2020, p. 40).
Some studies were conducted to evaluate the relationship between women's higher participation in the policymaking part and the transportation system and a more sustainable and environmental transport system. Kronsell (Kronsell, Dyménb, Smidfelt Rosqvist, & Winslott Hiseliusd, 2020, p. 14), in her research, concludes that there is no simple relationship between higher women representation in policymaking and the more level of sustainability and gender norms in decision - making transport systems. She explains that women show more sustainable actions than men in transport patterns, but the vital factor in sustainability and equality level in transport planning is more related to the presence of feminine norms than female bodies (Kronsell, Dyménb, Smidfelt Rosqvist, & Winslott Hiseliusd, 2020, p. 2).
3-8- Women's Travel Pattern in Sweden
The research "The changes of activity‑travel participation across gender, life‑cycle, and generations in Sweden over 30 years" (Susilo, Liu, & Börjesson, 2018, p. 793) discusses the travel pattern in Sweden. The researcher tried to investigate the long-term trends in an individual's travel patterns in different life-style stages and generations and applied the national survey for over 30 years. This research shows that people show similar travel behavior in various life-cycle settings and ages. Young generation women, women with small children, women without children who are married or have a partner, and older women travel patterns change overtimes differently. This research shows that the travel pattern of men and women in Sweden progressively becoming more similar and equal, and the gender difference is decreasing over time. Sweden owes this equality to policy changes implemented since the 1970s.
In Sweden, with improving education and more specialist women in the labor market, women's labor market rate has increased. The trend of women's activities with small children is higher than in the past, and the Swedish young generation mothers with small children participate more in non- work and out of home activities. As a result, women experience more complex trip chaining in compare with men. The work division between men and women also changed in recent years, and while women are tending to participate in social activities, men are taking more responsibilities for the household and children's duties.
The gender difference in the time of activity outside the home decreases among the young generation in Sweden. The teenagers are spending more leisure time inside the house to play video games or doing online activities and spending more time on school trips.
15 The travel behavior among the elderly is also changed, and the gender difference decreases over time. The fulfillment of the public transport system might have a positive impact on this trend. Also, better health service, policy implementation, a higher level of education, and personal improvement are another modifier to consider besides improvement in the infrastructure, and these happened after a long-term investment in Sweden society.
16 4-Theoretical Framework
This chapter presents the theoretical framework used in the research study's development and includes descriptions of the chosen theories.
This research explores the effects of the transport system on women's empowerment and well-being. In an effective transport system, gender- mainstreaming needs to implement, and gender equality should be the center and priority for all decision-makers in this area. All politicians, decision-makers, and administrators need to have specific knowledge and intention to create and implement gender-equal policies inside societies. The public transport sector is not an exception, which can play an essential role in women's economic independence and empower them. This study's approach is based on the theoretical framework mentioned above, women's equality in having access to opportunities, and their empowerment in life to participate in the labor market and social activities. Reaching this aim may be more comfortable with providing affordable, safe, and accessible transport systems. A gender-equal transport system may improve women's health and well-being and help them get easy access to different sources in their lives, including employment, health, education, freedom, and independence.
4-1- Nila Kabeer's Theory of Empowerment
One of the most influential definitions of women empowerment is Nila Kabeer's (Kabeer, 1999) empowerment theory. Kabeer explains that empowerment is the ability to exercise choice by the feeling of determination, competence, and agency.
Empowerment is a changing process from being unpowered to being empowered. In this process, people obtain the potential to make their own choice while previously abandoned by them. In other words, the expansion of people's ability to make critical choices in a circumstance where previously declined this ability from them. Some choices have a more significant impact on people's lives than others. We can define it better by dividing the life choices into first- and second- order. The first-order choices are the ones that give people the ability to live the lives they wish. Choices of livelihood, marriage, having children are examples of first-order choices. While the second-order choices might improve the quality of life, but they are less significant.
Kabeer's empowerment theory explains that three inter-connecting dimensions exist for achieving the individual choice ability.
The first one is resources (pre-conditions), which include material and various human and social resources that improve the people's ability to act on their choice. Family, market, and community, which construct a society, can be human or social resources in life. Access to these resources reflects the level of people's power, and sometimes more access to resources gives some people the advantage to have more authority over others, such as a household's head.
17 The second dimension is the agency, which refers to the people's ability to define their goals and try to achieve them based on their strategies, even in opposition situation forced by others. Agency refers to personal motivations, purpose, and ability to define ones' goal and achieve them. The agency's positive meaning is the capacity to pursue the goals while the agency’s negative sense refers to invalidate the others' agency sometimes by violence or threat.
And the third dimension for earning the ability to exercise choice in life is the achievement, which refers to various consequences from the basic ones, which improved well-being such as proper nourishment, good health, and adequate shelter to political representations a more complex one.
4-2- Different Approach to Gender Empowerment and Gender Equality
Reducing inequality is a fundamental part of the promise of agenda 2030. The SDG 10 of the agenda 2030 is: Reducing inequality within and among countries. Also, SDG 8 of plan 2030 refers to sustained economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all citizens.
Per UN Women, women are more likely to work in insecure, unprotected employment, and the gender pay gap exists everywhere (Turning Promises into Action: Gender Equality In The 2030 Agenda, 2018, p. 109). Women earn less than men generally, and they are more likely than men to live below 50 percent of the median income (Turning Promises into Action: Gender Equality In The 2030 Agenda, 2018, p. 113).
In Sweden, the gender policy has six aims that all need to commit to building an equal society. Equal division of power and influence, economic equality, equal education, equal distribution of unpaid household work and provision of care, equal access to health, and men's violence against women must stop (Gender equality policy in Sweden). For commitment to these aims, an accessible and useful transport system is vital and necessary.
4-3- Gender Mainstreaming in Society
Gender mainstreaming is a strategy for integrating a gender perspective into all policies' level to promote equality and decrease discrimination between men and women. The aim of gender mainstreaming is to avoid inequalities and analyze the existing situations to identify disparities and solve them. Gender equality has two dimensions: the first is equal representation of women and men, and the second is the gender perspective application in the content of policies (European Institute for Gender Equality).
Although the government's policy aims to be neutral and profit all society members, its focus is on the general public and often has a different impact on women and men. If the government does not consider this fact, then the policy would be gender-blind. Women have different travel needs and interests that must
18 identify by governments. It is also crucial to locate the gender-based stereotypes and traditional gender roles in society and determine their effect on men and women (European Institute for Gender Equality).
Target 5.5 of agenda 2030 is about women's full and active participation and equal leadership opportunities. The plan persists on women's and men's equal voice and chance to participate in society and leadership opportunities. Women's participation in politics and decision making parts at all levels, from government ministers to members of parliament or local council, should be inclined. Evidence shows that women's participation positively impacts society, although they remain underrepresented on corporate boards and managerial positions. Although there has been some progress over the last decade, women remain under-represent within the government, in parliaments worldwide, and in senior and middle management positions (Turning Promises into Action: Gender Equality In The 2030 Agenda, 2018, p. 98). Women are involved in the planning process unevenly that might influence both men and women negatively. Policies benefit from diverse perspectives and representation of both sexes, which would create a different experience and improve the overall result. In this way, the integration of both gender's needs in a gender-responsive policy will be equally addressed (European Institute for Gender Equality).
According to WISE (Women Employment in Urban Public Transport Sector) transport system is a male-dominant sector. The average percentage of men employees is 82.5%, and men are the leading decision-maker in the transport system. Based on their study, on management boards, women-only shares less than 20%, and women only represent 9.3% of drivers. Based on their research, there is un-even participation of men and women in planning and decision part of policies, affecting both men and women and reducing the gender-mainstreaming in planning and implementing transport policies. Women's participation in the transport sector could create gender mainstreaming for all actors in the industry. The result of women's involvement in the transport system is to achieve economic independence by giving them opportunities for professions and careers inside the sector. It will help support the strategy for a time balance between work and household responsibilities and better working conditions for both genders. Moreover, it will help create a new quality public transport that will fulfill the female requirements.
Gender-based inequality will slow down economic growth and poverty reduction. The gender aspects must consider when designing and planning transport infrastructure and service. The inclusion of gender perspectives at the transportation policy and project levels has not yet been achieved, and many transport projects still miss gender dimensions. Gender perspective needs to be increased at all levels of governments to ensure that national gender policy is incorporated in transport policies and planning (Mainstreaming Gender in Road Transport: Operational Guidance for World Bank Staff, 2010, p. 9).
19 4-4- Transportation System and Gender Empowerment
Agenda 2030, 11.2 underline access to safe, affordable, accessible, and sustainable transport systems with particular attention to people with vulnerable situations, women, children, persons with disabilities, and the elderly. Access to affordable infrastructures such as educational facilities, care, and health services is vital based on this policy. Transport will impact women's and men's opportunities to balance their work with their other daily activities. ( European Institute for Gender Equality).
The un-fair division of caring for household duties has many influences on women's travel behaviors and needs. Target 5.4 on the agenda 2030 refers to women's domestic and un-paid work and care that need to be recognized. It declares that women and girls burden a massive of unequal household responsibilities worldwide, which face them for lack of time for their education, income, political participation, rest, and leisure. These responsibilities are unpaid domestic works, including care of children and elderly, sick or disabled family members, and household chores that are not valued. These duties are not distributed equally between men and women (Turning Promises into Action: Gender Equality In The 2030 Agenda, 2018, p. 93).
An insufficient transport system may hurt women's access to the labor market and reduce their productivity while taking on more household responsibilities. Due to these responsibilities, women have unique travel demands that need to be satisfied. Reducing long waiting transport time, facilities, affordability, convenient location, cultural acceptance, personal safety are the main women's concerns in transport. In contrast, traditional transport planning has not considered these specific requirements (Women Employment in Urban Public Transport Sector).
20 5-Problem Definition and Aims
The review of other literature and research regarding women's transportation confirms that still in many societies, women's transport values and needs are not known and tackled. The public transport system across Europe often lacks quality, safety, and comfort for women, the disabled, elderly, and children, and transport is an area that needs specific measures and actions regarding equity and sustainability (Maffi, 2020, p. 26).
All Nordic countries are known as gender-equal countries in the world. Furthermore, Sweden is known as one of the most gender-equal countries and ranked first between 2005 and 2017 in the EU on the gender equality index (Gender equality index 2019: Sweden). Sweden is a developed country, and women and men almost enjoy equal rights in many aspects of their lives in society. The private car is accessible for nearly everyone in urban and rural areas. Based on the above facts and figures, we might take it for granted to study the women's public transport system's effectiveness in Sweden, especially in small areas. Also, to explore their specific challenges, perspectives, feelings, and expectations from the public transport system and understand the probable link between public transport and their empowerment.
Some studies have already discovered Swedish women's mobility needs from different perspectives. Moreover, they tried to understand the mobility difference between Swedish men and women, the various transport behavior among Swedish women, Swedish women's environmental transport attitudes, their participation in the transport policymaking process, and the effect of this participation to fulfill women's needs. Most of them are based on a quantitative method and do not explicitly discuss women's mobility behavior and needs in less populated and small areas. So the first aim of this study is to:
1- To study the public transportation system's effect on women's empowerment, health, and well-being and understand how easy access to public transport will improve women's economic situation, business opportunity, and social lives in specifically small urban areas.
Henceforth the global strategy, the Swedish government, has aimed to apply gender-mainstreaming in all areas of its citizens' life, including their mobility, and has tried to integrate gender mainstreaming in the transportation system and developed the gender-equality as a goal of transportation systems. Gender equality has two qualitative and quantitative aspects. The quantitative part of gender equality indicates the equal distribution of women and men in society, including the power positions. At the same time, qualitative gender equality refers to given equal weight to men and women experience and values to direct all areas of society (Women and men in Sweden 2018, Facts and figures). According to the Swedish Ministry of transport, all citizens should have equal access to safe, environmental, high quality, and gender-equal public transport based on their unique needs.
21 Women and men should enjoy equal power to influence the transportation system, have equal opportunity to participate in the design, structure, and administration part(Proposition 2001/02:20).
Many countries have known Sweden as their role model for gender equality and the high women representation in the decision-making process. Nevertheless, some areas in this equal society need to improve for addressing the discrimination between men and women. We can refer to women representation in policymaking and municipal level in the transport system in Sweden, which is low and a dominant male sector (Lena Winslott Hiselius, 2019, p. 1). The second aim of this study is to:
2- To study gender equality and gender mainstreaming implementation on the local project and understand its effect on providing gender-sensitive public transport with women's empowerment's ultimate goal.
Moreover, this study is when the pandemic of COVID-19 is the primary concern of the world. The times that mobility has changed dramatically, and the number of travels is reduced. Everyone should protect themselves. Based on the government's advice, people prevent using public transport and work from home as far as possible to prevent them from getting or spreading the virus. The other aim of this research is:
3- To contribute to an understanding, any change in the research participants' attitudes of the public transport system through their description. Whether they will trust and use public transport in the future the same as before pandemic COV-19?
22 6-Methods
This chapter presents the research's scientific approach, the method used for data collection, and how the selection of informants has been realized, and how the research was conducted. The study's ethical considerations are also presented in this chapter.
6-1- Design
In this study, an in-depth semi-structured interviewing method has been applied for gathering the data. I choose the qualitative method concerning my research to better understand the women's problems and barriers concerning the local public transport system and its effectiveness in supporting their needs. With this method, they could be able to express their thinking more effectively in their own words.
A qualitative in-depth semi-structured interview is the most extended method within the feminist research framework, supporting feminism's principle (Bryman, 2012). The interview method helps gain a better insight into peoples' opinions and gain a new perspective about their way of life in a particular community (Hesse-Biber, Brooks, & Nagy, 2007). In a semi-structured interview, a not hierarchical bond between interviewer and interviewee will be created. This good relationship will develop a two-way commitment and help for a better understanding of the feelings and ideas and improve the research result (Bryman, 2012). An interview is a way for feminists to share women's issues that they studied in their research with a broader population (Hesse-Biber, Brooks, & Nagy, 2007).
The semi-structured method is general, and there is no necessity to follow up with a set of fixed questions. The interview is conducting so that the interviewee's point of view is essential, and the interviewer can add new items based on the replies and change the questions' order or phrasing.
Refer to Shulamit Reinharz (Reinharz & Davidman, 1992), the interview is a way to find peoples' ideas, thoughts, and memories in their own words rather than the researchers, and this way is essential for the study of women's opinion because it is an antidote to centuries of ignoring women's ideas altogether or having men speak for women.
Following the reflexive methodology in this research, I tried to be aware of my standpoints to provide more effective analysis as a feminist searcher. Reflexivity meaning that social researchers should be thoughtful about their methods, values, biases, knowledge, and decisions of the social world they develop, and they need to be aware of their cultural, political, and social backgrounds (Bryman, 2012). I needed to be conscious of the preconceptions that might affect my research.
6-2- Data Gathering
23 In qualitative research, the face-to-face interview is generally the most conventional way. I have conducted my research during the Covid-19, which is undoubtedly a specific time. According to the Covid-19 pandemic situation, I have been adapting my research based on the pandemic's obstacles. I had restraint in data collection and interviewing the participants who were involved in my research. At the beginning of emerging the epidemic, I decided to postpone my research, but after two months, the social distancing remained a measure that needed to follow. Therefore I decided to change the face-to-face interview to the phone -interview. Moreover, I decided to add some questions regarding the pandemic. At this particular time, I try to keep in mind that this situation impacts everyone, and people might answer my questions regarding the transport system differently than before. I wanted to know how much the pandemic influences the data gathering. The threat of the virus might affect my research participants' point of view and their behavior regarding public transport to commute or even the kind of jobs they might prefer to have in the future. I thought it is crucial to understand how Covid-19 will impact the peoples' transport needs and be conscious of the ongoing situation and its effect on my research data.
Although the interview by phone might be more relaxed in some cases, such as asking sensitive questions, it has specific issues. Most importantly, it is impossible to take advantage of body language, which helps better understand the interviewees' feelings, including their discomfort or confusion. This issue is critical in a semi-structured interview method that the creation of relationships and understanding the sense of interviewees is significant. Another disadvantage is the possibility of technical problems and a weak line.
To add to the above issue, phone interviews have another disadvantage because the interviews were conducted in English, my second language, and the interviewees' second language. And communication with a second language is much more productive with body language and eye contact.
In this research, I had a series of essential items that were important to cover all of them, although keeping the order of questions was not critical. During the interview, I tried the best to follow up on the framework, but with this method, I could be flexible and add some new questions, and this is the feature that makes the interview attractive (Bryman, 2012).
For doing my interview in the best way, I tried to be structured and explain the purpose of the interview to interviewees, and at the end, ask them whether they have any questions (Kvale, 1996). I tried to ask easy and straightforward questions during the interview (Kvale, 1996). Moreover, I tried to be gentle and let people think and finish their statements. Furthermore, I tried to listen carefully and be sensitive to what the interviewees say, asking questions to clarify their ideas without imposing any meaning (Kvale, 1996).
24 6-3- Sampling
I choose the purposive sampling method for my research. Qualitative research often includes a small sample group because it is relevant to an in-depth understanding of a social situation based on the meanings individuals given to that and not to generalize (Hesse-Biber, Brooks, & Nagy, 2007).
My research aimed to understand the perception of actors and women in one small municipality regarding their transport system not to generalize anything, so I decided to talk with a group of women as listed in Table 1. Two were female actors in the project who works in the municipality and four women outside the project who live in the area. Among these four women who live in the area, two were mothers who have enough experience regarding dependency on the public transport system to share with me. One of the other two women has her car while the other one only used public transport. I choose my sample group's size based on my research aims and the shortness of resources such as time and difficulty to contact people during COVID-19. It was a small sample group, including six women, but they could be logically the right representative for the population. The critical point for me was that this small sample group was knowledgeable and experienced about my research's elements (Cresswell & Plano Clark, 2011). I choose the sample group in a purposive way, and the sample group was relevant to my research questions (Bryman, 2012).
The Halmstad University and Laholm Municipality aim to increase the collaboration between the educational environment and the municipality. I got contact with the Laholm project and two females who actings in the project through the university.
Regarding the women who live in the area, I faced a challenge to detect some representative females. My research was during the pandemic of COVID-19, and I had difficulty to travel to the area. On the other hand, people were reluctant to conduct interview and contact with unknown people. To find my sample group, the only practical solution that I found was to send a Facebook message to women who live in the area, explain my research's aim, and ask for a phone interview. I found these women based on their Facebook profiles' location and sent messages to more than 60 women in the area. Fortunately, some of these women answered my invitation, and I interviewed them.
25
Table 1: Definition of Sample Group.
Occupatio Sample Childre Role Private Car n/Educati Group n on Working at the Person One Municipality Yes - Yes and the Project
Working at the Person Two Municipality Yes - Yes and the Project Yes ( She bought her car recently Person live in the area and had enough Yes Yes Three experience with public transport) Person Four live in the area No - No
Person Five live in the area Yes - Yes
Person Six live in the area No Yes Yes
6-4- Data Processing and Analysis
For analyzing the data, I used grounded theory, a conventional way of analyzing qualitative data (Bryman, 2012). In the qualitative method, researchers systematically collect the data, review the transcript, interpret the data, divide them into different elements that are potentially significant, allocate names to each of them, and then create the codes. Coding is the method for breaking down the gathering data into different elements and giving names to each of them (Bryman, 2012).
After transcribing the telephone interview and reading them several times, I took notes from significant observations and started to create codes following a set of themes planned in the questions. Then I practice to review the created codes and find the connection between them and remove the ones that described the same aspect. I divided the text into different units based on the meaning, and most importantly, these unite need to be related to the aims and the conceptual framework of my research. In the end, I generated the final themes.
26 6-5- Ethics
I conducted the interviews for data gathering in qualitative research, so what people say and how they say it was crucial. An interviewer needs to be attentive, following up interesting points, and being insightful, and the best way is to concentrate on listening without distracting by writing down the notes (Bryman, 2012). A common practice is to record the interview and transcribe the conversation later, which is a standard method in the qualitative approach (Bryman, 2012). To avoid any harm to participants and follow the ethical codes, keeping these records confidential is crucial. Also, when publishing the study, people must not identify in any way. I assured participants that I will hold confidentiality and anonymity and will not provide any details that make them placed. Also, explain to them that their recording voice will be destroyed after the transcription process and, during this time, will be secure storage, and no one will have access to it except me.
For being ethically sensitive, at the beginning of each interview, I informed the participant about the subject of my research, the purpose of my study, and how long the interview will last. Also, I emphasize that their participation is voluntary, which means they can withdraw at any time (Bryman, 2012)(Appendix 1).
6-6- Validity, Credibility, Generalization, and Reliability
External reliability is an issue in a qualitative method and concerns the impossibility of repeating the study with the same circumstance and making replicable (Bryman, 2012). In the qualitative approach, dependability acts parallel to reliability, which means data stability over time and condition. To apply dependability in my research, I provide the research methods, and I explain how the data analysis and the result present in detail. This information is accessible to makes it possible to replicate the research (Bryman, 2012). Moreover, I transcript the interview records in detail after listening carefully, and I provide some direct quotes from interviews to be assured of transferability, which is the ability to transfer the data to other groups (Lincoln, 1985).
Credibility or internal validity is fulfilled when researchers get to the point that what they see or hear is accessible to others (Bryman, 2012), and they are assured of the truthiness of their research data. I did my research by phone- interview method and in English, my second language, and my sample group second language. Without face- to- face interaction while the conversation is in a second language, the possibility of misunderstanding is high. To apply credibility in my research, I tried my best to clearly understand the interviewee's word and perception by repeating and summarizing their statements and asking them to confirm the accuracy. Moreover, I include in the research their quotes for ensuring the obtained conclusions. I tried to be open, listened carefully to interviewees, and tried to design probing questions to encourage my sample group to think more deeply and share their perceptions and thoughts. During the interview, I took notes also record the conversations, then I explore the data. Moreover, I tried to 27 explain the content analysis process in detail to make my research more understandable. In my research, I tried remembering that as a Middle East woman who immigrated to Sweden, I might have some anticipation, cultural background, and experience that could affect my research's reliability, and I need to be conscious about them.
6-7- Limitations
The big challenge for me was conducting my research during the COVID-19 pandemic. I had obstacles to travel to the areas where my sample group lived to observe their transport system and life situation. Traveling to the provinces and talking with the women face-to-face could improve the data-gathering and analyzing process; moreover, it might help me better understand their perspectives and thoughts. I could not take advantage of a face-to-face interview to understand women's feelings better. The other obstacle was doing the English interview, which was neither mine, not my sample group's mother tongue.
6-8- Study Setting and Design
This case study concentrated on a long term project in one municipality in Sweden. The two small urban areas that I have done my research on are Knäred and Veinge, which both of them are inside Halland County in the southwest part of Sweden and are located near Laholm's urban area. Veinge and Knäred have less than 1500 populations, and currently, the only available public transport system in the places is buses with a limited schedule. Laholm municipality started a long-term project in 2017 to develop these two lands, and the goal is by 2030. Among the plans is to commence train stations for each of these two small urban areas to build a more effective and sustainable public transport system that enables families to a smooth and comfortable journey to work, study, or social activities (Development program for Veinge and Knäred). This study specifically concentrates on the women's transport pattern with the current bus schedule in these two areas, the project's gender awareness, and the influence of a more efficient public transport on women's empowerment.
Based on the information provided by Laholm municipality, the population of Knäred is over 1200 people who their average age is 42.7 years, and about 63 percent (16-64 years) of them are employed. Thirty-three percent of the population work in the area, while others must travel inside or outside the municipality boundaries for their job. Most of the inhabitants who work inside Knäred are working in health care, manufacturing, trade, or education. Veinge has 1300 inhabitants who their average age is 40.3 years. The rate of employment among the working-age people (16-64 years) is 75 percent. Among Veinge residents, 18 percent work inside the area, mostly in health-care, manufacturing, trade, and education. The remaining population have their career outside the area and need to commute to the workplace.
28
7- Results
The chapter presents the results of the research method by using the thematic analysis.
I interviewed six women to complete this study. Two of these women are working in the municipality and are actors in the Laholm project. As they are people aware of the area, I aimed to understand their perspective regarding the current transport system. I asked their views about gender equality in their current transport system, whether it can satisfy all the society members' needs, including women's requirements. I also asked some questions about their perspective on the commencement of the future transport system and its effect on women empowerment. And of course, I wanted to know their implementation of gender equality and gender mainstreaming in their project.
Moreover, to get the current transport system's right perspective in these two areas, I interviewed four women who live there. I wanted to understand their daily demand from the public transport system, their everyday experience, and their perspective regarding the current transport system. Moreover, I aimed to know what they think about the future train station and what they expect. Among these four women who live in the area, two owning a private car, which one of them buy it recently and has enough experience with the public transport system to share with me. Two of them were mothers with small children whose knowledge of their daily life gave me the right perspective regarding their mobility.
Besides, I research during the time that the pandemic of COVID-19. I try to investigate from participants whether in the future they will trust and will choose to commute to the workplace, or they prefer to stay safe by working from home and don't use any public transport.
According to data analysis, I created the below codes.
1- Schedule, connection points, and duration of travel
2- Dependence, cultural norms, and ethnic group behavior on using the private car
3- Reliance on family members or others
4- Safety
5- Women Employment, education, And Social life
6- Women's household and child-care responsibility
29 7- Women environmental view
8- The future opportunity and people perspective on the project
9- Covid-19 & public transportation
10- Gender equality & gender mainstreaming perspective of decision-makers
7-1- Schedule, Connection Points, and Duration of Travel
The people I interviewed face some restrictions in their daily mobility. The public transport system in the area is insufficient and inadequate. The current transport system, with its limitation, makes women's life difficult from many aspects. Based on their personal needs, all women have some struggles while they are only dependent on public transportation. The buses only have their schedule based on the pick hours to get people to the workplace. The bus movement schedule cannot meet women's particular needs, which are traveling outside the pick hours. The bus number is inadequate, and there is a big gap between their movements' schedule that restrict women's mobility. The last bus time is the early evening, which creates much stress for women, especially mothers. Some are afraid of missing the bus and cannot get home. The travel time and connection point was another problem that some woman talk about that. The long travel time makes mobility difficult for women.
Person one (actor in the project)
"When we generally talk to people in this village, we often find that women's mobility is reduced. They feel restricted in their mobility because of a lack of public transportation. The public transport in the area is very poor, and even bus transport is very poor.”
Person two (actor in the project)
"I knäred the transport system is really poor, maybe four or five buses in a day. It is not like cities. You need to go by bus in the morning, in the middle of the day, or in the afternoon. And the latest is at 06 o'clock."
Person three (a woman in the area)
"We have very difficulty in our mobility with public transport. During the weekdays, we have only five or six buses. We have three buses in the morning, which the last one goes around 09:00, and there is a big gap until the next bus around 13:00. The last bus, based on the schedule, is around 18:00, and no bus in between. We have no access to any other public transport out of these schedules. At weekends the situation is even worse; we have two buses which one is in the morning and the other one in the afternoons, but we need to contact and book for the bus two hours beforehand.”
30 “Before buying a car, I had very few travels during the weeks, and I feel restricted in my trips. I need to plan for any trip. I had to arrange everything with the bus schedule, which limited me in many ways.”
"Traveling with buses took time, and travel time is long because some buses have stopes in other areas, making our trip so long.”
Person Four (a woman in the area)
"The bus gap is my main problem. The thing is maybe there are only buses in the morning. And then I have to wait until one o'clock. There is a gap of around 4 hours that makes a big problem for me sometimes. I need to get to somewhere that there is a train station. I am looking for a job, and I don't need to have daily travel by public transport, but if I want to travel to job placement in the future, I have to use the bus to get to the bus station in the nearest city. It takes about 25 minutes and then at the bus station, I need to get another bus to the train station, which takes more 5 to 10 minutes. The other problem for me is that I cannot travel in the evening."
Person Five (a woman in the area)
"No, I don't have any specific problems. I choose between public transport and by private car, and mostly I use my private car."
Person six (a woman in the area)
"The current insufficient public transport makes me stressed. I have to plan for any travel in advance. The situation is terrible in the holidays. In fact, for me, with small children, it is tough sometimes impossible to travel on holiday. Sometimes I miss my doctor's appointment, especially in winter, because of the inefficiency and bad schedule time of public transport."
7-2- Dependence, Cultural Norms, and Ethnic Group Behavior on Using the Private Car
Only depending on the public transport system makes life difficult for women who live in the area. They will face difficulty in their movement. Consequently, the women in the region need to have their cars to have a smooth and comfortable trip. But the problem is that many families in the area have only one car because of the economic possibility, and the vehicle generally is allocated to men. The man usually drives the car to the workplace, and women are forced to consider family priorities and use public transport. Moreover, the fuel and road tax cost limit some women who have less access to economic resources.
The participants who work in the municipality believe that women have less economic resources and mostly cannot afford a private car, especially the ones who are unemployed or the ones who are on maternity leave. Although using the only private car of the family by men is generally a norm among many families in the
31 area, the situation is worse for some families with different cultural backgrounds. In recent years some refugees are living in these two areas. The cultural norms are different among them that restrict women's mobility.
Person one (actor in the project)
"In some families, there is only one car because of economic possibility. And the car is often dedicated to males. What we understood is that maybe it is a problem that they have not money to have two cars in one household. And then it is a problem to priority so they can feel reduced and cannot transport. Public transport in the area is very poor, and you need a car per person to be related to economic.”
Person two (actor in the project)
"You have to have your car to be able to travel, especially in Knäred. Most people in the area have a car; otherwise, they would not go to work or the store. I think there are some ways of difference between men and women. Women are forced to use public transport because the men use the car, and the woman has to find other ways. I would say that I have not read any facts, but it is usually the norm. Especially for women who are on maternity leave with children or are unemployed women, it might be feeling that the man is using the car. In recent years refugees are placed in knäred, and they can't afford two cars. I can see this pattern more among them. Otherwise, I think also for even Swedish when they only have money to own one car, the member of the family who is working and is mostly the man, uses the car."
Person three (a woman in the area)
"Most of the people owned their car if they want to have a comfortable life and travel.”
“But using the car is expensive for me. The cost of fuel and the rode tulles are high. It influences my economic situation in a negative way. I try to use car-sharing with two other classmates, and we join together in different cities in between and then share the fuel cost. After buying a car, I have no problem regarding my movement except for the car expense that is difficult for me to handle. The price of fuel is not reasonable, and I prefer to travel by public transport in all of my activities.”
“I have my car and my driving license. But my neighbors are mostly refugee families, many of them only have one car in the family, and often, the man uses that car."
Person Four (a woman in the area)
"I don't have a private car. I don't feel the need at the moment, but maybe if I get a job. Maybe getting moped to is enough for me if I work inside the area in the future, but if I want to get a job outside the region, it is not possible with mopped and the best solution I think is to have the train station or at least buses every one hour that will make life more comfortable here."
32 Person Five (a woman in the area)
"I use my private car. I don't feel any limitation or problem on my trips. I use the bus sometimes when the schedule is appropriate for me; otherwise, I use my car. With my private car, I have a reasonable distance to cities, and the travel time is suitable for me."
Person six (a woman in the area)
"We have a car that my husband needs to use it to travel to work. It is difficult for me to travel with children, but the priority is my husband's job.”
“Most of my neighbors are retired, and they have one car that the men drive. And the young ones who both working mostly have two cars."
7-3 Reliance on Family Members or Others
The participants who have family, children, and more household responsibility feel dependent on family or friends. Others try their best to arrange their activity based on the public transport system to avoid any dependency. Also, the young ones in the area might be more dependent on their parents. In general, if they want to be independent in their mobility, they need to arrange their transport based on the limited bus schedule; otherwise, they cannot go anywhere.
Person two (actor in the project)
"Especially for the young ones, this is the problem you need your parents to drive you everywhere, and if they don't have the time, you can't go anywhere."
Person three (a woman in the area)
"Before I buy my car, sometimes I missed the bus, and my husband asked one of our neighbors to give me a ride back home when he wanted to get back home from his job. We used to borrow a car from our friends at some weekends to go for grocery shopping or to buy clothes for our children at a reasonable price from the next big city. I felt dependent on others many times."
Person Four (a woman in the area)
"No, I don't feel any dependency on anybody, but I need to have a plan for any activity that I need to do. If I want to do something, I have to look at the time and plan for it at least one day before. If I want to visit someone, I cannot just go; I have to look at the timetable and plan it. So I know how I am going to travel."
Person five (a woman in the area)
"No, I don't feel any dependence. The car gives me the freedom to move without feeling any need."
33 Person six (a woman in the area)
"I always feel the Reliance on my husband. I always need to arrange my time with his schedule if I want to use the car. Sometimes he is forced to get leave from his job if I need to use the car for doing one important job. It is complicated."
7-4- Safety
The women in the municipality and the women who live in the area don't feel any insecure of harassment, but all agree that the bus stops are too dark, and there is no enough sign, light, police, and camera on the bus stations. The women feel uncomfortable in the dark stations, which make their waiting time unpleasant. Sometimes, the bus drivers cannot see someone is waiting at the bus stops and don't stop because of darkness. Moreover, there is a threat of accidents with passing cars on the dark way to the bus stops.
Person one (actor in the project)
"We have very much thought about the safety issue and issue about the feeling the women face in our design that we value it very much. The system should be open spaces, good lighting, and so.”
“Today these places are very dark, I wouldn't say they are a threat, but they are very dark and not inviting.”
“I think they are a little rough, or they are not the best villages or most safe villages."
Person two (actor in the project)
"For everyone, probably mostly women, the issue is walking in the dark road, which the car drivers might not see you. Some of the bus stops are not safe, and it is a general problem. I would say the darkness in itself is the main problem. We don't feel it is an insecure area to be in with violence, but it is more the dark in itself."
Person three (a woman in the area)
"The bus stop is too dark. We need some light at the bus stops. Especially when I am with my children, I feel uncomfortable. I don't feel afraid of people or harassment, but the darkness is not good."
Person Four (a woman in the area)
"No, I don't feel any scared. I need to use a flashlight to show the bus driver that I stand there because the bus stops are too dark, and the driver might pass without seeing me and not stop. But I am not scared and don't feel any threat from people for harassing me."
Person six (a woman in the area)
34 "On the bus or train station, the most important thing is enough light and the sign to show me the schedule. I am afraid sometimes, especially in winter. It is too dark, and I feel alone inside the darkness. Our area is safe, but I still afraid sometimes, mainly because of the darkness. I feel alone. It is not easy being in a dark place without any light, sign, police, or camera."
7-5- Employment, Education, and Social Life
Based on the interviews' information, women often work in available jobs inside the villages that might not be their favorite. The women mostly work in health- care, education, and farming, which is available, and they don't need to travel. Many women in the area work to support the family and be independent.
For all the participants, working or studying is vital. But they agree that the transport system creates a daily challenge and they need to put extra effort. Although they like to participate in their favorite social activities such as NGOs or any kind of women's movements, the current ineffective transport system is the leading cause that restricts them. Some women feel their social contraction is not enough, and going to their favorite gyms is not possible for them; even for one of them, the loneliness and being outside the society caused depression.
Person one (actor in the project)
"The women often work inside the same village. They work in health care or education. So, I think we have differences in how women and men work and where they work. The most workplaces in the village are health care or education."
Person two (actor in the project)
"We are an agriculture municipality, and many women are working with the farms. I am sure they do what they have to do to support the family. If they can't travel far, they take what is available in the area, which is many health care and education positions. I don't think women stay at home at the moment because of the mobility problem. I think they find a way because today, it is essential for most women to work.”
“But I think some of them have to dream of trying some business at home or in the area. However, today they can't see that it is possible. With public transportation increasing, they will start thinking, ok, now people are coming and going, and all of a sudden, I would try to open a coffee shop, I could try to start a shop, or I could try to create my massage store. I am pretty sure this might happen."
Person three (a woman in the area)
"I go to my favorite course, but I force to travel a long way daily. I have no other choice. For me, the important thing is to empower myself and study at my favorite course."
35 “I feel restricted from being part of any social activity. Sometimes, I feel alone, and I like to have extra activities, especially before starting studies. But mobility restricts me so much. The most important thing was the negative psychological effect on me. I don't have any friends inside the area. I had to go to a psychologist two years ago because of depression. If I could meet my friends who live in cities or participate in some activities, it was easier for me to handle my mental problem.”
“It is challenging to keep my social contacts without the transportation system."
Person Four (a woman in the area)
"Maybe, it would be easier if more buses were available. It is not easy to travel daily to a big city that my favorite job will there. My favorite position is not close to here, and I need to have daily travel to a big city.”
I am interested in participating in NGOs, and there is no one here, so it would be difficult for me to participate and be active in my favorite."
Person Five (a woman in the area)
"I am working outside the area on my favorite job, and I have my social contacts, and I don't feel any problem. I can use my car or bus to do my jobs."
Person six (a woman in the area)
"There is no NGO or social activity available to participate. I don't have enough time to travel for any kind of activity because of my small children. I am interested in being part of women's activities, but if I want to participate in their gatherings or discussions, I need to plan for the whole day because of the duration and schedule of public transport. I need to choose between my favorite social activity and my children, and the priority is always with my child-care responsibilities.”
7-6- The Future Opportunity and People Perspective on Future
All participants were favorable toward the railway's opening and agreed they would have more daily travel. They believe that life will be more comfortable with a frequent public transport system and will feel freedom in their mobility. And, they will get access to more jobs, better education, or social activities. The variable jobs inside the area will be more. Also, they can start or expand a business. They think they will feel freedom in their movement and have more opportunities to participate in their favorite social activity. The railway's opening will attract tourists and improve their living conditions by bringing more options inside the area. Moreover, their children will have more entertainment and extra activities, and parents have more time to spend with their children while not wasting time on a long journey. Traveling by train is more comfortable and safe.
Furthermore, they talked about their expectation from an effective transport
36 system, and the most vital factor for them which they are looking for is public transportation with frequent and off pick time schedules, flexibility, and accessibility.
Person one (actor in the project)
"I think, when we build transportation, the women will have a better opportunity. It is always a good thing to empower women as a general aspect.”
“I think what you do with your time in your daily life. If you spend less of your time on transportation, it will help for a better possibility of health because you have time to give to social life or your health. Instead of sitting on the bus for one hour, then you have to spend less time on the train then you have the time that you have for other things. I think it is an excellent way to give an opportunity. I think it opens up possibilities."
Person two (actor in the project)
“The commencement of the project will create the possibility of more entrepreneurs starting a business around the station area or the village. I am sure it will increase, especially those that turn to tourism because knäred is an attractive place for tourists. With the possibility of smooth and comfortable travel by train, many opportunities will be available for women. It is more potential for people to be able to come. There will be more women who are thinking about options to start a business or make their company developed. The challenge today would be the transport if your customers want to reach you or if you want to go to them. That is one thing I am sure of, especially if you think about the tourism industry.”
“When the train starts working, women can go to education, the workplace, training smoothly. The feeling that they are no longer forced to get the bus at 07 in the morning and come back at 06 in the evening gives them power. It is mentally vital. They feel free. Even though they might use it, but they feel free and powerful because you can.”
Person three (a woman in the area)
"I am a hundred percent positive toward the new transport system. At the same time, we need more facilities in the area—for example, a training center. I need to travel to the next city to exercise, which limits me a lot. Or, if we have more opportunities for shopping, then we can have more business opportunities inside the area, and people will have a more comfortable life. I think the train will bring us more facilities inside the area also.”
“It will be easier for me to travel with my children. I can take them to their favorite activity. I will travel more and will do my favorite hobbies if mobility is more comfortable for me. Even now, without a train, if the bus schedule is sufficient, I will travel more with the bus will not drive in my private car. It is less stressful to travel by train.”
37 “The most important is the schedule and out of pick time travel time."
Person Four (a woman in the area)
“Most important is access to transportation to be able to travel. I mean the commencement of the train station as soon as possible would be lovely. So it would be easier to go to the market or travel to the next big city if I want to work there.”
“The frequency and out of pick time travel time is fundamental.”
Person Five (a woman in the area)
"For me, the train schedule and accessibility to it is very important. The location of the train stops and the parking zone close to the station is important. Also, security and good connection points and short travel time."
Person six (a woman in the area)
"I am so positive toward the commencement of train in the area. I can take my children to their favorite place or enroll them in their favorite extra activity. There is no entertainment for children in the area. My children like to travel by train, and it is more comfortable than driving when I want to travel with children. It is safer than going on the road with small children in the car.”
“After the commencement of the train, I can spend more time with my children instead of spending much time on a long trip or waiting for the bus.”
“The flexibility of schedule and out of pick time movement is the most important thing for me. I have small children, and sometimes I need to travel without a previous plan. On the bus or train station, the most important thing is enough light and the sign to show me the schedule. The important thing is to have access to a train with a sufficient and adequate plan."
7-7- Women Environmental View
All the women who live in the area, either the ones who drive private cars or use public transport, were concern about the environment. They prefer to use public transport because it is more environmentally friendly. They think the fuel consumption is not suitable for the environment. And all of them have a plan to use the train in the future.
Person three (a woman in the area)
"I will choose public transport mainly because of the consumption of fuel, which will affect my economy and also the environment. I always think about the environment."
Person Four (a woman in the area)
38 "I prefer public transport because it is better for the environment, climate and nature. I am a person who cares a lot about what we do to nature and all living beings. I am vegan, and I only buy second hand. I don't want to be the reason for our planet's collapse."
Person Five (a woman in the area)
“After the commencement of the train station, then I will travel by train. It will be more comfortable and more environmental.”
Person Six (a woman in the area)
"I prefer public transport because of the environment."
7-8- Women's Household and Child-care Responsibility
The biggest challenge for women in the area was planning their trips based on the schedule. The situation is much more difficult for mothers with small children. The big gap between the buses' movement and no of pick schedule creates much burden on mothers and restricting their mobility to a high extend. Going to health- care or shopping centers is a challenge for these mothers. They are challenging with some mobility difficulties when they want to handle their household and child-care responsibilities. I interviewed two mothers; each of them has two small children. Both mothers have some unpleasant experiences because of inadequate public transport. One of them was facing many stress and worries during her pregnancy time and after her childbirth. The main concern of them was accessing health-care if their children get sick outside the bus schedule. Both mothers regret that they cannot provide a better opportunity for their children's entertainment and extra physical activities because of their mobility difficulty. They have experience waiting at the bus stop for a long time with their small kids. Sometimes they were forced to prioritize their child-care activities to their education. One of them left the university to do her child-care responsibilities only because of the inadequate bus schedule. Both of them believe that they need to choose between child-care and their favorite social activity. They have been forced to stay at home often while they desire to do a social activity. They also think that mobility is more difficult for women because they always need to carry some bags and take care of children during the trip.
Person three (a woman in the area)
"Shopping for children is very difficult when I need to carry a burden and to take care of my children and change between the bus and train. Sometimes I need to wait more than one hour for the bus with my small kids.”
2Always I thought if my child gets sick and needs to visit a doctor, how I can go to a health center. The last bus, which is around 6 o'clock, restricts me so much.”
39 “If we wanted to travel to another city to do a job, I couldn't send my children to school, and I took them with myself because if I miss the bus in return to home, it is so difficult for me to get back on time and take the children from school. I can handle my responsibilities and doing my activity when my children are at kindergarten if I don't feel any stress about the time and the duration of my travel.”
“At weekends, we couldn't take our children for any entertainment. Here is a small area, and there are no entertainments for children. Or if I want to spend some time with my children in a new place, it is impossible.”
“Once I traveled with my family to Malmo to visit our friend, and in return, we were waiting with our two small children under the severe rain in the winter more than one hour to get a cab because we missed the last bus in the way back to home from Laholm, which is the nearest city."
Person six (a woman in the area)
"I always have something to carry with myself. Moreover, I am a mother, and sometimes when I am at university, and something happens to my children at kindergarten, I have to travel back fastly, but it is not possible because of the unavailability of the bus. I always feel stressed.”
“The worst experience was when during my pregnancy, I missed the doctor's appointment because of the snow and the delay of the bus to get me to the city. It was a booking time for prenatal genetic screening tests, and health care couldn't book for me another time.”
“Commute to university was challenging for me during pregnancy. The travel was long, stressful, and difficult because of insufficient public transportation. My doctor advises me to get leave from my university and avoid traveling with that problematic situation, which was dangerous for my health. If the transport was enough and sufficient, then I didn't force to be at home and be away from my studying.”
7-9- Covid-19 and Public Transportation
Although almost all participants after the COVID-19 pandemic try to prevent using public transport, they all agree they will use it again without worrying after the situation becomes normal. And in the future, they will trust public transport and prefer to use it instead of private cars. All of them have the experience of working at home or studying online during the pandemic. They think they choose the remote work only one or two days a week but not more. And they will choose to commute to work instead of working from home. They feel it is more productive and better for their health and well-being. Having social contacts with people or colleagues is vital for all of them, and they think they will get more support.
Person one (actor in the project)
40 "It is not easy for me to use public transportation during the pandemic. I use public transport when it is not crowded. So it is not a big problem for me. I can still use public transport and feel safe. But if I have lived in a very dance city with very crowded public transportation, then I would maybe have other thoughts about it. But at the moment, no problem for me. Perhaps a bit more conscious about social distancing.”
“I always thought working from home would be very nice and comfortable to work from home. Now, I changed my mind. You have to create an adequate workspace with good facilities. You need to have a good routine. I think when I work from home, I miss my colleagues and social interactions. Maybe one or two days a week could work but not for the week. I don't think it will work."
Person two (actor in the project)
"I will try public transport later but right now, no. I am very conscious as long as I have my bike and I have my car. After the pandemic, I think two or three times before using public transportation. But I want to go on later again.”
“I like the opportunity to do both workings from home and commute to work. That is something that I found I want someday. It is so much better to be alone with your thoughts and your work at your home. But I need the energy from my colleagues, and I need to feel belonging to something, so both are the perfect way for me."
Person three (a woman in the area)
"I will travel by public transport without any worries after COV-19. I still prefer the public transport system.”
“I live in a small area. I prefer to go to university and have social contacts; otherwise, it will be boring for me at home. I like to have social connections with people. If I work from home or study at home, I have no other social contact with people. I need to meet new people."
Person Four (a woman in the area)
"I will use public transport. I am still using it and try to follow some measures to keep myself safe. I don't like to work from home. I am interested in activities that give support to people with their life problems, such as addicted people or working inside NGOs. I prefer to have physical contact with people instead of talking with them online."
Person five (actor in the project)
“I will trust and use public transport in the future.”
“I work in a service sector job which having social contact with people is part of it. So I need to be present at the workplace. I like my job, and I enjoyed talking and contracting with people.”
41 Person six (a woman in the area)
“I still prefer public transport. I feel trust in public transport and will use it in the future after the pandemic as much as possible.”
“I prefer to go to the workplace. Sometimes it is ok but not every day. I want to be social and talk with people. I can get help from my colleagues, chat with them, and learn from them. But with online contraction, you cannot create a close and emotional relationship with people, especially new ones.”
7-10- Gender Equality and Gender Mainstreaming Perspective in the Project
One of these research aims to understand the policy-decision maker and people who work in the municipality regarding gender equality and gender mainstreaming in conducting this project. The project is in the early implementation part. I interviewed two actors in the project. They have no specific guidelines for following gender equality, but they believe they follow the gender equality policy because, in their job, one of the fundamental factors is to follow the agenda 2030, including gender quality. Although the planning manager of the project is a woman, most policy- decisions makers are men. Most people working on the project are men, but in some parts of the project, the number of women and men is balanced.
They have some open meetings and invitations for people who live in the area to get their points of view for improving the project. But they have had no specific invitations for women to talk about their needs. Moreover, when they have general meetings, including men and women, most participants are men above 60 years, and women mainly do not participate in this kind of discussion. But women are more active in digital surveys, especially the ones between 30 to 45 years old. So the best way for them to include the women's perspective in the project is a digital survey. They try to have regular open meetings and digital surveys to include all people.
Person one (actor in the project)
“Yes, there is a gender equality perspective in the project. We don't have it like a portal, but we always work with the agenda 2030. So it is a kind of inside that big package of values that we always carry with us. That is the way we work with most that we have with us from a broader perspective.”
“We have several dialogues, not specifically with women. We have physicals meetings and digital surveys with people who live in the area. The interesting things are that in a live discussion in the evening, it usually is very much male, and mostly over 60. But in digital dialogue, or when we present some information, and it is possible to participate by clicking and answer by digital, mostly women answering, and between 30 and 45. We will continue to do that to have both ways to get as
42 many as possible insights.”
“The best thing is to address it and talk about it. So to make people aware. It is not always that people connect gender equality questions to public transportation. So it is essential to show connections that are not so obvious to everyone. On our website, we sometimes publish the news that offers which goals of the agenda 2030 are involved in the project.”
Person two (actor in the project)
"I think we are working with gender equality really without spelling it out in Sweden. That just what we are supposed to do. I don't think there is somewhere in the project, but we spell it out.”
“There have been meetings with the people in the village, but it hasn't explicitly been an invitation for women to get their ideas. All people in the areas invite to come and involve and giving their input. They are invited but not as gender perspectives.”
“The most important thing is to make sure that women come to meetings women in the area speak their thoughts and what is essential for them to then I think equality will come up in the project."
43 8- Discussion
The research’s result presented in the previous chapter clearly shows that the insufficient transport system could negatively affect women's daily mobility. While mobility is the fundamental rights of women as citizens. They face challenges that negatively affect their access to the labor market or social activities. This research approach is women's empowerment in life. A gender-equal transport system would create an opportunity for empowering women. This part of the research will analyze the obtained result concerning the theoretical framework and the previous studies on the transportation system. The two applied analytical themes for discussion are:
Gender equality and gender empowerment in the public transportation system
Gender mainstreaming in the public transportation system
8-1- Gender Equality and Gender Empowerment in the Public Transportation System
A sound transportation system could empower women, make them able to travel in whatever place they wish and at any time they want. It gives them freedom, flexibility and releasing their time to spend in any desired way. Make women able to contribute to environmental measures and provide more safety for them and their children. These are the perspective and the perception of the women who were contributing to my study. All women live in Sweden, one of the most feminist country in the world. All were autonomous and empowered women. They are employed or study at the university. They care about their mental and physical health, their family, and their social activities.
Nevertheless, most have daily struggles on their daily trip. The low transport system creates a burden for them to have easy access to essential activities for their health and well-being. It shows that the gender gap still exists in the transport system, even in most developed countries (Gustafson, Work-related travel, gender and family, 2006, p. 526).
Moreover, from the observation of the gathering data, it is comprehensive that women's travel needs might change in their different life circles, and some factors might influence their mobility. Among these factors are household, child-birth, and care-giving responsibility (Madariaga, From Women in Transport to Gender in Transport: Challenging Conceptual Frameworks For Improved Policymaking, 2013, p. 48). The participants in this research, who were mothers, face more struggles in their daily lives and have different purposes and preferences from their daily trips. We can consider these women among the excessive number of vulnerable groups with specific transport needs (Madariaga, From Women in Transport to Gender in Transport: Challenging Conceptual Frameworks For Improved Policymaking, 2013, p. 49). Both of them are studying at university. One
44 mother who gave birth to her child in the area experienced some difficulty during pregnancy time, such as missing prenatal genetic screening tests because of the inadequate and unreliable transport system, which created emotional tension during pregnancy.
"I didn't know whether my child is healthy or not, and I had to wait until her birth."
Also, she was forced to be away from her studies at the university during pregnancy time. She had to stay at home per her doctor’s advice because of the long travel time, and the bus stops’ darkness (Duchène, 2011, p. 15), and chain trips (NG & Acker, February 2018, p. 15) dangerous for the fetus. These confirm the previous studies’ finding that a woman is more likely to quit her job due to her parental status, and this decision limits her potential (Gustafson, Work-related travel, gender and family, 2006, p. 517).
The interview data shows that time poverty was the primary concern of mothers who participate in this research (Madariaga, From Women in Transport to Gender in Transport: Challenging Conceptual Frameworks For Improved Policymaking, 2013, p. 52). Time poverty refers to the lack of time that a woman would spend on leisure. The participant responses show the importance of target 5.4 of agenda 2030, which declares that women worldwide burden massive household responsibilities, which cause them time poverty for education, income, social activities, rest, and leisure. The work's and family responsibilities' division affected these mothers' employment, studying, and emotional conditions.
The mothers talked about their travel challenges while accompanying their children during the trip (Peters, Gender and Sustainable Urban Mobility, 2013, p. 11). The long waiting time for the bus schedule with small children while carrying overburdened groceries is a tough job for them (European Commission, 2014). Both of them need to travel long for the kids shopping to have access to reasonable prices, and sometimes they experience staying at the bus stop for a long time with their small kids. Also, they need to manage multiple tasks during their trips, so their trips usually conclude more than two points (NG & Acker, February 2018, p. 15). Their traveling pattern is specific, and societies' inequality causes these differences (Peters, Gender and Sustainable Urban Mobility, 2013, p. 1).
“I need a fast and short travel time. I need to carry a burden and to take care of my children and change between the bus and train.”
These mothers have more complex and challenging activities in their daily life associated with their child-care responsibilities (Maffii, Malgieri, & Di Bartolo, CIVITAS Policy Note: Gender equality and mobility; mind the gap, 2020, p. 20). The main concern of these mothers was the trips related to their medical visits, which are mainly their responsibilities (Peters, Gender and Sustainable Urban Mobility, 2013, p. 2). Both mothers were worried if their children get sick and they don’t have access to public transport, what would happen to them. They need to have access to traveling outside the pick-time in the afternoon to accomplish their
45 child-care responsibilities, which is different from the men fixed travel time (Maffii, Malgieri, & Di Bartolo, CIVITAS Policy Note: Gender equality and mobility; mind the gap, 2020, p. 20) (NG & Acker, February 2018, p. 15).
“The biggest challenge for me is visiting the doctor. The bus schedule restricts me so much.”
They often conduct travel for a wider variety of purposes (Maffii, Malgieri, & Di Bartolo, CIVITAS Policy Note: Gender equality and mobility; mind the gap, 2020, p. 6). Another dissatisfaction with these mothers was having more entertainment with their children and experiencing new places, especially at the weekends. Also, providing a better opportunity for their children by enrolling them in different extra activities classes outside the area. They feel with the more power in traveling, and they will be able to have healthier children, which confirms with the women’s investment in their health and well-being, they can improve the health and well- being of other family members, especially their children (Duflo, 2012, p. 1076).
“Here is a small rural area, and there are no entertainments for children. Or if I want to spend some time with my children in a new place, it is impossible.”
“I wish to take my son to different training classes.”
The interview data also show the emotional pressure of traveling with a limited schedule on these women. They are worried about reaching their children's school on time while they are out of the area for any activity. The result confirms the previous studies that children could reduce a woman's mobility in Sweden while it may not affect man (Gustafson, Work-related travel, gender and family, 2006, p. 513).
“If we wanted to travel to another city to do a job, I couldn't send my children to school, and I took them with myself because if I miss the bus in return to the home, it is so difficult for me to get back on time and take the children from school.”
“If something happens to my children at kindergarten, I have to travel back fast, but it is not possible because of the unavailability of the bus.”
Another emotional suffering of these women was separation from society. Both mothers were facing struggles to balance their daily activities with their social activities. They talked about the hardship of balancing between their social action and the family's responsibility while they are the mother of two small children. Their motherhood is a demanding career with high responsibilities, superior to anything else for both of them. So both of them prefer to limit their daily trips related to their extra activities to save their time (Gustafson, Work-related travel, gender and family, 2006, p. 517). One mother talked about her mental health and the depression she experienced. The inaccessibility to flexible public transport prevented her from traveling to meet her friends regularly, which worsened her
46 situation. She Felt loneliness and social isolation. Another mother talks about her wishes to participate in one kind of women's movements.
“Life was so difficult, I felt alone in a remote area, without any friends. I wished I had my friends close to me to talk with them. I couldn’t travel easily to meet them.”
"There is no NGO or social activity available to participate. I don't have enough time to travel for any movement because of my small children.”
The above information confirms that the transport system hurts mothers’ productivity while managing their time with a restricted transport schedule. The result analysis also shows us the importance of target 11.2 of agenda 2030, which emphasizes accessible transport with particular attention to some vulnerable groups, including women. Moreover, the possibility to access infrastructures such as care, health service, and educational facilities is vital for women, and the transport will impact women’s opportunity to balance their work and their daily activities (European Institute for Gender Equality).
The data analysis confirms that women have unique travel demands that traditional transport planning cannot satisfy these specific requirements (Women Employment in Urban Public Transport Sector). The data also shows that women hold greater responsibilities for households in Sweden, and they prefer to work closer to home (SOU1997:35, 444).
Based on feminist theories, the mobility system can create gender power. A step from the mothers, the data from this research shows the other women who participate in this study face some struggles for having easy access to their favorite jobs or education outside the area. While based on WHO, for women's well-being, it is necessary they have access to decent work and the labor market. The participants believe that the job opportunities inside their living area are few, and they have not variable options. They need to travel by insufficient public transport to get access to their favorite employment.
Moreover, the information from participants who work in the municipality indicates that many women prefer to do agriculture, education, or nursing jobs close to their homes and sometimes avoid the trip and stay at home if the travel takes a long time (Peters, Gender and Sustainable Urban Mobility, 2013, p. 3). Some feel they are restricted and don’t have the freedom to choose their favorite ones. The data shows that women predominately work within certain occupations and travel fewer business trips, and prefer to have a job closer to home (SOU 1997:35).
"We are an agriculture municipality, and many women are working with the farms. I am sure they do what they have to do to support the family. If they can't travel far, they take what is available in the area.”
This information shows the insufficiency of the current transport system causes
47 unequal job opportunities for women while based on Swedish gender equal policy (Skrivelse 1999/2000:24, 6) the employment development opportunities and equal access to training personal development are fundamental. And if we want to reduce the gender gap between men and women in the labor market, it is essential to pay more attention to better transport services (Maffii, Malgieri, & Di Bartolo, CIVITAS Policy Note: Gender equality and mobility; mind the gap, 2020, p. 7).
The gathered data demonstrate that while people who live in these two areas are mostly dependent on private cars, for some women with fewer financial resources, the only option is the dependency on insufficient public transport system or feeling exclusion (Hirt A, Stuck in the Suberb? Gendered perspective on living at the edge of the post-communist city, 2008).
Women generally earn less than men (Turning Promises into Action: Gender Equality In The 2030 Agenda, 2018), and the car expense is not reasonable for their economic situation.
“But using the car is expensive for me. The cost of fuel and the rode tulles are high. It influences my economic situation in a negative way.”
The participant in the study from the municipality talked about the cultural norms in using the car in the area, which shows while in a family based on the economic resources, only one car is available, the man uses it for travel to work (Hirt A, Stuck in the Suberb? Gendered perspective on living at the edge of the post- communist city, 2008, p. 348).
“Women are forced to use public transport because the men use the car, and the woman has to find other ways.”
This data also shows that the car is more connected to masculine identity in Sweden than a feminine one (SOU 2001:44).
The other observation was about refugees in the area, who this cultural norm is more visible in these ethnic groups. The data shows women's travel behavior might be divergent based on their ethnicity and would affect their mobility pattern (Loukaitou-Sideris, A gendered view of mobility and transport: next steps and future directions, 2016). So it is critical to recognize and observe the cultural background and minority groups' travel needs for having an effective transport system.
“In recent years, refugees are placed in knäred, and they can't afford two cars. I can see this pattern more among them.”
In small areas, an efficient transport system could economically empower women and positively affect their health and well-being (Maramba & Bamberger, A Gender Responsive Monitoring and Evaluation System for Rural Travel and
48 Transport Programs in Africa, 2001, p. 10).
Close to the previous observation, some women's dependency on others in daily life was another concern. Some participants experienced dependency on a husband, friends, and neighbors. The situation is more critical for unemployed women or for the young ones who are dependent on their parents.
The data demonstrate that women feel no threat to any harassment in bus stops or their ways to the bus stops, but they agree that the bus stops' design and facility are insufficient. Their main concern was about the low lightening in the bus stations or walking in darkness from bus stops, or waiting in a dark and isolated area (Duchène, 2011, p. 15). Because of physical states and emotional differences from men, women have specific safety concerns in their travel patterns. They concern enough signs, light, police presence, and camera on the bus stations (Duchène, 2011, p. 15).
“It is too dark, and I feel alone inside the darkness…. It is not easy being in a dark place without any light, sign, police, or camera."
Also, not lighting designed pedestrians to bus stops and not lighting around the bus stops was another concern in the area (Maffii, Malgieri, & Di Bartolo, CIVITAS Policy Note: Gender equality and mobility; mind the gap, 2020, p. 39), threatening their safety. The darkness might cause an accident because the passing cars cannot see them while they are on the way to bus stops.
The other observation of this study shows that while women are waiting in bus stops with insufficient lighting, bus drivers' awareness about their specific concern is critical (Maffii, Malgieri, & Di Bartolo, CIVITAS Policy Note: Gender equality and mobility; mind the gap, 2020, p. 39).
“I need to use a flashlight to show the bus driver that I stand there because the bus stops are too dark, and the driver might pass without seeing me and not stop.”
The participant attitude shows that in Sweden, women travel patterns are environmental (SOU 2001:44). All participants indicated they prefer to use the sustainable transport system while it is flexible and accessible.
Based on the gathered data, The participants reflect that traveling by train is more comfortable and safer than traveling by car. Their ultimate expectation from a functional transport system is a more flexible and available transport system, enabling them to travel outside rush hours (NG & Acker, February 2018, p. 15).
The above data corroborate target 11.2, agenda 2030, which refer to a safe, affordable, accessible, and sustainable transport system for people.
49 8-2- Gender Mainstreaming in the Public Transportation System
The object of gender mainstreaming is to achieve equality between men and women and combating discrimination. Feminist theories hold gender- mainstreaming should be implied in the transport system to achieve a sustainable transport system.
The gender perspective implementation in all programs' content is fundamental (European Institute for Gender Equality) if we want to follow gender mainstreaming in society (ECOSOC). Many transport projects are gender blind and miss gender dimensions, at all levels, from planning, designing, and implementing a transport service (Mainstreaming Gender in Road Transport: Operational Guidance for World Bank Staff, 2010).
The actors who participate in this study mentioned, following the agenda 2030 is a fundamental part of their job, and they look at it as a broad term in the project. Also, they act based on the gender equality policy in Sweden, which is essential to follow in all tasks, including transport policy (SOU 2001:44). They added that the project missed to designate and define the gender perspective purposely. The project is in the early implementation part, and in this stage, it is crucial to work on the peoples’ gender awareness to achieve the ultimate goal, which is an effective transport system that meets women’s specific needs (Greed, 2008). In this stage, the planers should recognize the women’s multiple employment and care-take tasks and their trip behavior (Greed, 2008).
The project design some meeting to integrate the women’s perspective and experience (ECOSOC). Although these meetings are not explicitly allocated to women’s involvement in the project and are not widely welcomed by them. Taking some actions for men and women equal participation in the planning process and encouraging women to give their opinion is crucial (European institute for gender equality). In the physical meeting, mainly retired men participate, and it might indicate the time poverty of women. The other way for the project to ask for women's opinions is through the digital survey. The participation of women, especially between 30 to 45, in this way, is more. The gathered data in this way is valuable for the actors in the project because women understand their mobility needs, transport barriers, and limitations better (Loukaitou-Sideris, A gendered view of mobility and transport: next steps and future directions, 2016, p. 10 of 15), and it is crucial to ask for their opinion while designing or implementing a transport system (Duchène, 2011, p. 15).
The first dimension of gender equality is the equal representation of men and women(European Institute for Gender Equality). The planning manager of the project is a female. It shows women’s picture in the decision-making process(European Institute for Gender Equality), which might better fulfill the female requirements (Women Employment in Urban Public Transport Sector. A female decision-maker in the planning team is significant for a transport project (Greed, 2008) for achieving its gender-equal ultimate goals. Also, both sexes' 50 diverse perspectives would improve the overall result (European Institute for Gender Equality). Moreover, the importance of women's active participation and equal leadership opportunity is clearly defined as a goal in target 5.5 of agenda 2030.
In contrast, most actors in the municipality and the politicians involved in the project are men. The un-even participation of men and women in planning and decision-making might reduce gender mainstreaming in planning and implementation transport systems (Women Employment in Urban Public Transport Sector). However, there is no clear evidence to show a relationship between women representation in policymaking and more level of gender norm in the transport system, and the equality level in transport projects is more related to the presence of feminine models rather than the presence of female bodies (Kronsell, Dyménb, Smidfelt Rosqvist, & Winslott Hiseliusd, 2020, p. 1).
The second dimension of gender equality is gender perspective application in policies (European Institute for Gender Equality). Based on the agenda of 2030, women and men should have an equal voice in society. The participants in this research who are actors in this project realize that the best way to have a gender- equal transportation system is to values both men and women in a balanced way and encourage women who live in the area to talk about their needs. Moreover, they are aware of the different age, social or ethnic groups’ needs in public transport, and it is crucial to bring their evaluation in various stages of the project‘s piloting part and access the performance continues to be sure of addressing the gender mainstreaming in the project (Greed, 2008).
Moreover, they acknowledge that people's awareness of gender perspectives in the transport system is vital (Greed, 2008). They recognize that people are not conscious of the connection between transport and gender perspective. And it is essential to educate people to understand and acknowledge women's points of view and their needs from the public transportation system. Publishing the news about part of the project which follows the Agenda 2030 policies is one way for them to follow this aim.
51 9-Conclusion
Public transport is supposed to be effective and gender-based in the most- developed country, such as Sweden, as one of the most gender-equal countries globally, while mobility is one of the fundamental rights for citizens. This qualitative method research was a case study in Sweden. This research aimed to investigate the transport system's effect on women empowerment and understand how a gender-equal transport system based on women's complex needs would empower women. Moreover, to understand the effectiveness of gender- mainstreaming in the area's transport sector. The research area was two small urban areas in Laholm municipality with less than 1500 populations. The only available public transport is buses with a limited schedule. The first research question was the women's daily travel behavior, challenges, and expectations from the future transport system, which is the commencement of a train station by 2030 that provides direct access to the big cities.
This research indicates that women's mobility in small urban areas in Sweden is challenging, especially for some who take double burden responsibilities daily. Even though others who have less complicated, or multi-purpose travel, try to adjust their daily trip with public transport and face little confront and feel more control over their environment.
The current transport system is not sufficiently reliable, accessible, and frequent to satisfy women's specific transport needs, and many are dependent on private cars. Accessing material resources such as a car would give women more freedom in their daily travel and reduce their stress level caused by public transport's insufficiency. This fact is more critical for mothers who take child-care responsibilities. While the lack of efficient public transport based on their specific needs is evident in the area, possessing a car supports them in better access to healthcare, shopping centers, entertainment opportunity for their children, and better life quality. With insufficient public transport, women feel pressure and obstacles in their daily mobility. They feel impediment to their daily travel, and they sense they have less control over their lives. They cannot freely decide about the activity they want to do and feel no mastery over their lives. Accessing public transport is more critical for women who have less access to financial resources. Freedom in their mobility by accessing an effective transport system would empower them and support them to live the life they want and make their ways easier toward their aims.
The cultural norms of masculinity in using the car is another indicator of women's mobility. While most families with limited financial resources own one car, mainly, the man drives the car. This masculinity norm is more visible in ethnic groups with cultural background, and women tend to experience more significant challenges in access to vehicles and are more reliant on public transport. Empowerment is a process that could be through a collectivistic behavior. For empowering these women, collective growth is needed to change the cultural
52 norms.
Another observation of this study was that the transport system is gender-neutral and might be insufficient for everyone, but travel might be harder for women. The women might feel dependent on others. Empowerment is related to autonomy and independence to others. The transport system, which could improve physical mobility relatively, will empower women to be self-determined in their trips and freedom from any family member.
The finding of research shows that the improvement of transport will create a positive impact on the women, as the empowerment of woman and having more unrestricted access to jobs and opportunities and higher education would increase their ability to take better care of their children and earning money will contribute better health and well -being of a family (Mehrotra & Kapoor, 2009). And give confidence and a feeling of self-efficacy while they can be more engaged in the family economy.
Moreover, any member of society, including women, need to feel no obstacles in their traveling to have the opportunity to influence their lives through their sense of agency. The transport empowers women in a way that might give them control and influence over their lives to be freer in choosing among the jobs, businesses, educations, social activities, and training centers, which is more meaningful to them. A sound public transport system could help them quit low-paid or vulnerable jobs and start thinking about self-empowerment. An effective transport system also provides women with a genuine opportunity to control their time to spend it in more productive ways and invest in themselves through different ways such as learning productive skills, technical training, business development, or management skills. The transport would positively impact their outcomes and achievements and contribute to their health and well-being.
This study's second question was to explore gender equality and gender mainstreaming implementation in Laholm municipality's project, including the train station's commencement.
The observation shows that although women are involved in the leadership and critical positions, the project is male-dominant, especially in the policy-making part. The local males are mostly contributors to the meetings to share their perspectives with the project's actors, while women prefer to participate in digital surveys. This study indicates that some strategies need to develop to empower women to participate in transport projects to take advantage of their attitude. It is critical for the project's benefit to increase women's ability to bring their voices when they are more aware of their priorities and needs from the transportation system. Their contribution to their transport system's development planning will create more equal statues and support the transport project to move in the right direction to help women's empowerment more effectively. Moreover, it is critical to bring greater gender-awareness and raise gender perspective consciousness
53 into the project's different parts and stages if the ultimate aim is an equitable transport system. And addressing the gender challenges in the transport system and considering their cultural, house-hold responsibilities, financial, physical, and emotional barriers as decisive determinations while designing a gender-sensitive transport system.
Finally, this research last question was related to women's attitudes toward the public transport system after the COVID-19 pandemic and observe any change in the women's mindset toward traveling to the workplace.
The examination shows still women prefer public transport modes, and they have enough trust in the public transport system. They like to travel by an accessible public transport system, which is, in their opinion, safe, comfortable, affordable, and environmentally. Women are ready to give up driving a car altogether when they have access to the new train station. Moreover, after experiencing working remotely during the pandemic widespread, they understood it is critical to travel to their workplace. They feel strong positive emotions while they contribute to social interactions physically. They feel their contribution in the workplace allows them to build a collective strength, empower each other, and it is a dynamic way to get more support from their colleagues.
This research observation indicated that women feel more restricted in their social activities than in other areas, and the condition creates negative emotional states or mental and physical problems. Possible development of this research could be how creating more local entertainments and bringing women's social activities in remote areas could empower women and contribute to their well-being. It could be valuable for the municipalities and the actors within the public health to create strategies for preventing women's social isolation, feelings of loneliness, and mental illness in these areas. Moreover, to discover women's roles in empowering each other while creating social ties through local social activities.
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56 Appendix (I)
My name is Leila Emami. I am a master's student at Halmstad University. I am currently researching the influence of the transport system on women's health and well-being. My research is explicitly trying to study the gender-mainstreaming and the possible effect of the Laholm transportation project on women's health and well-being and understanding their current issues and their expectation from the future transport facility.
I wish to assure you that I will hold confidentiality and anonymity. Your identity will be disclosed, and I will not provide any details that make you identified.
The interview will be recorded, and after the transcription process, I will destroy the file. During this time, the file will be stored securely, and no one will have access to the recording voice. Your participation in this study is voluntary, and you can withdraw at any time you feel uncomfortable. Some of your words may be quoted directly in my research. And you can ask any questions at any time during the interview.
With these conditions that I explain, do you agree to participate in this research?
57 Appendix (II)
Question from actors of the project
1. Is there any specific mobility problem for women's mobility in the area this project may solve it?
2. Is there any threat or safety issue for women's mobility in darkness at the moment? Whether in the project, women's safety and their special travel needs have been considered? (on the way to train station or inside the train station such as safe road for pedestrian or bicycle, enough light, parking for mothers, camera, police)
3. Is there any difference between men and women in the area regarding their travel? Whether women feel more restriction without the train? ( number of a daily journey, the way of travel)
4. How could this project possibly create a job or business opportunity for women and improving their economic situation? (Access to the labor market, create more jobs in the area, better access to jobs outside the area, developing business opportunities, new jobs opportunities for women inside the new train facility)
5. How could this project relate to women's development, health, and well- being, and how could they empower them? (Education, personal training, participation in society and social activity, sports, health, life satisfaction)
6. Do you think the lack of transport makes women choose a job they don't like to do? (because they have difficulty in mobility for their favorite jobs or the business they want to do)
7. What is the biggest challenge for women who are entrepreneurs regarding their mobility?
8. Does the lack of an effective transport system have any effect on women who have a business?
9. What would be the effect of the future project specifically on entrepreneurs? Do you think this project will support the women who want to start a new business?
Gender mainstreaming
1. Does the project follow Sweden's gender equality policies? Is there any gender perspective in the project? If not, what is the reason?
2. How many women are working on the project in a senior position? In designing part? In implementation?
58 3. Any action is taken to involve the women who live in the area in the project? Is there any opportunity for them to present their idea? Any meeting with them? Any invitation?
4. How can we push gender equality better up in the project?
Covid-19
1. What is your idea about using public transport at the moment? Has your concept changed about using public transport after COV1-19? Do you prefer any other mode of travel?
2. What is your idea about working from home in the future? If the threat finishes, do you prefer to work at home or the job place? Do you think differently from before?
59 Appendix (III)
Question from women in the area
1. How do you travel and how much time do you spend on traveling to get access to the next cities (Halmstad city, or any other city that you usually travel)
2. Do you need to arrange your travel in advance? Do you feel any restriction? If you need to travel immediately, is it possible? (for example, if one friend ask to meet you without any plan)
3. How much time do you think is suitable to spend on travel to the next city? How much time are you ready to invest in your daily trip to the city?
4. What kind of problems do you have in your daily travel without a train station?
5. Do you use a private car? Do you own a personal vehicle? Do you have driving licenses?
6. Do you think the women in the area have more restrictions than men regarding their travel? (Safety, time restriction because of more responsibility at home)
7. Do you feel any dependency on a family member or friends for your travel?
8. Do you feel any threat or fear of traveling during the night?
9. Do you have any restrictions or problems with traveling to your job place? Do you feel free to choose your favorite job? If you want to work your favorite position, which is not located in the area, do you have any time restriction for travel at the moment? Do you think, with better public transport, it would be easier to have that job?
10. Is there any limitation in your social life without the train station? Do you have any particular activity in your mind that travel restrict you? ( participation in any activity such as NGOs, political action, women special group gathering or activities, visiting family or friend, access to health care, any particular sports activity, children activity, education, shopping)
11. Between public transport and a private car, which one do you choose? Which one is more suitable for you at the moment and after the train station's commencement?
12. Are you positive toward the commencement of the train station? What opportunity will it bring to you?
60 13. What is vital that will help you with a smooth and comfortable journey with the train? (schedule, design, accessibility, the placement of train's stops and easy access to them, safety, design of the train stops, good connection points, parking zoon near to station, time of travel)
14. After the public transport improvement in the area, would you travel more?
Covid-19
1. What is your idea about using public transport at the moment? Has your concept changed about using public transport after COV1-19? Do you prefer any other mode of travel?
2. What is your idea about working from home in the future? If the threat finishes, do you prefer to work at home or the job place? Do you think differently from before?
61 Leila Emami
PO Box 823, SE-301 18 Halmstad Phone: +35 46 16 71 00 E-mail: [email protected] www.hh.se