Although the transport and mobility industries have historically been largely male-dominated, recent studies show that women are becoming an increasingly strong presence in some professions. So where exactly are we now? Update on gender equality and some of the latest initiatives for boosting the number of women in the industry — and a quick tour of some of the successes.

Do young women tend to shy away from the transport industry because of social conditioning or lack of knowledge of the different professions? Probably a bit of both. In any case, the figures speak for themselves. In France, 26.23% of people employed in the transport industry are women (source: Eurostat Labour Force); across Europe as a whole the figure is even lower, at just 22%, with 14% of them working in land transport and 20% in waterborne transport.

Air transport: setting a good example

Women have a higher presence in air transport, at 40%. The industry is changing slowly but surely: in the 10 years between 2007 and 2017, the percentage of women working in the French aviation industry rose from 18% to 23% according to Gifas (French Aerospace Industrial Grouping), reaching 25% in 2018.

“A groundswell movement”

Although this increase is encouraging, recruitment professionals still have trouble finding candidates. Why? A lack of information about potential careers. “It’s a shame that young graduates are not sufficiently aware of the jobs on offer. At the same time, the increasing number of women in these professions is a groundswell movement that can fill certain needs,” explains Sébastien Perdereau, manager at recruitment consultants Michael Page, quoted in Le Parisien newspaper. And a number of degree course are rightly proud of having equal numbers of female and male students. “If you look at the master’s degrees in supply chains, they’re balanced, some of them even have more girls than boys, such as at Paris-Dauphine University,” he notes, before adding: “The sector is gaining recognition but doesn’t yet have the reputation it deserves.”

Boosting managerial training for women

A reputation that is nonetheless growing. More and more transport and mobility businesses are seeing their ranks swelled by women. For example, at VINCI Concessions, women represented around 32% of the workforce in 2018 – 35% in managerial positions. The goal is to double the number of women on management committees and executive committees in each division over the next two years and to boost managerial training for women. An action plan promoting gender equality in the workplace has led to the adoption of several measures, from leadership training to combating discrimination in hiring.

Non-profits leading the way

Another sign of progress: the increasing number in recent years of non-profits working to improve gender equality and the percentage of women working in the industry. One example is the British NGO Women in Transport, which proposes job offers, events and personal development workshops in its quest to promote the presence of women in the sector.

Its French equivalent, Femmes en mouvement, brings together women professionals and experts from the mobility and transport industry. The organisation aims to show that women have a role to play in a fast-changing sector and that they have the legitimacy to tackle the industry’s issues. It has created a cross-functional, inter-organisation network to boost women’s careers.

Inspiring career choices

Elles bougent is a non-profit that seeks to strengthen gender equality in industrial and technology companies. To encourage young women to consider a career in the transport industry, the organisation tries to raise awareness among schoolgirls and female students of the various professions, help to improve career guidance and encourage women’s presence in technical posts. It has 22 regional offices that organise various actions throughout the year. For instance, it regularly organises visits to companies where participants can discover the diversity in certain professions in the sector and that hopefully even inspire career choices.

TUMI (The Transformation Urban Mobility Initiative), a German NGO, marked this year’s International Women’s Day on 8th March by publishing the first edition of 61 remarkable women in the transport industry, a portrait gallery highlighting the women’s work in their respective countries.

“A worthwhile challenge”

The transport sector is also home to women who have succeeded in overthrowing stereotypes and, for example, creating their own startups. One such is Smahane Bouchlaghem who founded Femme au volant, a chauffeur-driven car service with women-only drivers, while Charlotte de Vilmorin launched Wheeliz, a consumer-to-consumer website for renting wheelchair-friendly cars. Selected as the best social innovation project by the European Commission, the company has won several prizes.

And then there are Élisabeth Borne, appointed as Minister of Transport after heading the RATP, Anne-Marie-Couderc and Anne Rigail, chair of the board and managing director respectively at Air France, and Laurence Battle, chair of the board at RATP Dev, a subsidiary of the public transport organisation focused on developing its international sales. Interviewed in 2017as part of a round table discussion organised by Femmes en Mouvement, Laurence Battle said she was keen to place more importance on diversity and equality within the organisation: “Currently just 20% of our workforce, rising to 25% of managers, are women. Increasing women’s presence is a real challenge — and a worthwhile challenge.” We are willing to bet that in a few years’ time, the lack of gender equality in the transport sector will be a thing of the past.