Session 59 Åsa Vagland

Gender Equality as a

Subsidiary Objective of

Swedish Transport

Policy

- What Has Happened Since 2001?

Åsa Vagland, VINNOVA

Transportforum 2011

Disposition of the Presentation

• Background – before the objective in 2001

• What happened between 2001 and 2004?

• What has happened since 2004?

• Analysis and conclusions

• What will happen next?

Before the Objective

1994 National directive to analyse gender

equality

1998 Transport Policy for Sustainable

Development

1999 Gender Equality Council for Transport

and IT (Jämit)

2001 Infrastructure for a Long-term Sustainable

Transport System

Background

Men/Women in Executive Boards and

Steering Committees 2000

Road

Rail

Maritime

Civil aviation

Road

Rail

Maritime

Civil aviation

Executive boards

Steering committees

Men

Women

0 20 40 60 80%

0 20 40 60 80 100%Source: Jämit

Background

The Transport Policy Objectives

“The overall objective is to ensure socially,

economically efficient and long-term sustainable

transport resources for the public and industry

throughout Sweden”

Six subsidiary objectives: Accessibility, regional

development, transport quality, traffic safety,

environment and gender equality

Background

Gender Equality in

the Transport System

“The transport system shall be designed so that it

meets both men’s and women’s transport

requirements.

Women and men shall have the same

opportunities to influence the construction, design

and management of the transport system, and

their values shall be given equal weight.”

Background

After the Decision 2001

Commissions to SIKA and the transport agencies:

• Intermediate Objectives

• Effects of Infrastructure Measures

• Proportion men/women in working groups

• Analyse men’s and women’s usage and impact

on development and management

Objective developed about distribution of power

and influence within every mode of transport.

2001-2004

What Has Happened Since

2004?

• On the political arena

• Governmental briefs and guidelines

Since 2004

On the Political Arena

• Governmental bill on gender equality, 2006

• ”New” government, 2006

• Reorganisation of the transport sector

• Governmental bill on transport policy, 2006

• Governmental bill on transport policy, 2009

Since 2004

Government Bill on Transport

Policy 2006

• Gender mainstreaming - all other subsidiary

objectives should be analysed through a

gender perspective

• Intermediate objective on representation in steering committees

Since 2004

Government Bill on Transport

Policy 2009

• New transport policy decision adopted

• The overall objective kept the same

• New structure on objectives:

– Functional objective: Accessibility

– Impact objective: Health, safety and

environment

Since 2004

Functional Objective:

Accessibility

“The design, function and use of the transport

system will contribute to provide everyone

with basic accessibility of good quality and

functionality and to development capacity

throughout the country. The transport

system will be gender equal, meeting the

transport needs of both women and men

equally.”

Since 2004

Governmental Briefs and

Guidelines

• 1997-2008 same briefs and similar annual

guidelines: defined assignments analysing

their efforts towards the objectives

• 2009: shorter, less detailed annual

guidelines, no special assignments stated

Since 2004

Analysis and Conclusions

• Political decision

• Awareness

• Effects of new governments

The Political Decision in 2001

Was Essential

• It started the gender mainstreaming process

within the transport sector in Sweden

• The transport agencies would never have

come this far without the objective

• The commissions in the guidelines forced

the transport agencies to report back

• More mature discussion 2005 and onwards

Analysis

Having Said That…

• Effects of the objective difficult to measure

and on a long-term perspective

• The present transport system is the result of

investments made over long time

• Today’s transport system is explained by

the values and needs of the past politicians

and planners.

Analysis

Transport Agencies Are Aware

That …

• It makes a difference who is involved in the

processes of planning, designing and

maintaining

• Knowledge and competence is needed

when working towards gender equality

Analysis

Men/Women in Executive

Boards 2004 and 2008

Source:SIKA

Analysis

Men/Women in Steering

Committees 2004 and 2008

Source:SIKA

Analysis

Men/Women Managers in the

Transport Agencies, 2008

Source:SIKA

Analysis

Effects of the New Government

• New transport objectives

• Rephrasing governmental guidelines

• Reorganisation of the transport sector

How will this effect the gender equality?

Analysis

The New Transport Objectives

• The subsidiary objective on gender equality

is no longer valid.

• What effect will this have on the gender

equality in the transport sector?

• How much will the gender equality

perspective influence the future

infrastructure plans?

• Will the transport agencies continue the

work towards gender equality?

Analysis

Rephrasing the guidelines

• Without objectives and annual assignments

to report to the Government …

• … the whole governing structure for the

governmental agencies is changed

• The long-term effects are not known yet!

Analysis

Reorganisation of the

Transport Sector

• Depending on the new governmental briefs

and the executive board for the new

transport agency…

• … the way the transport agencies have

worked could change

• also how the knowledge and competence

on gender mainstreaming are taken

onboard in the new organisation

Analysis

What Will Happen In the

Future?

• What decisions will future Governments

and Parliaments take?

• Is it possible to reintroduce a gender

equality objective again?

• Is it desirable to reintroduce it?

• Do Sweden still need a gender equality

objective within the transport sector?

Thank you for your attention!

Åsa Vagland

+ 46 8 473 30 65

asa.vagland@VINNOVA.se