September 27, 2021
Take the MobilityXX Pledge
Join the Movement to Increase Women in Transportation by 10% in 10 Years!
Did you know that women make up only 15 percent of the transportation workforce? In addition, according to census data, the proportion of women in transportation occupations only increased by three percent from 2005 to 2019. Why is this important? Certainly, transportation isn’t the only field in which women are underrepresented – but the percentage is quite low in comparison to other occupations. Women make up 36 percent of physicians and 37 percent of lawyers in the United States – but their participation in those fields has grown at a steadier rate. Female physicians increased from 28 percent in 2007 to 36 percent in 2019; women made up 31 percent of lawyers in 2010 and 37 percent in 2020.
It is important to bring more women and women of color into transportation, and particularly into decision-making roles, because having more diverse voices throughout the entire process, from planning to decision making, will help solve complex challenges in our industry.
Women spend more on transportation than men – they typically are the ones balancing work, home, and family trips. The median extra costs women pay in New York City, for example, is $26-50 per month. They pay more for safer mobility options – but not all women can afford to choose safer options, which means they have less access to economic opportunities. In addition, women have limited transportation choices if they are caregivers and traveling with older adults, children in strollers, or carrying groceries and other packages.
It is also just good business – companies in the top quarter for gender diversity on executive teams were 21 percent more likely to outperform on profitability according to McKinsey & Company.
What can we do to turn this around? ITS America is partnering with The Ray and WTS International Foundation on MobilityXX to engage the broader transportation industry to increase the number of women from all backgrounds in the transportation workforce by 10% over the next 10 years. As ITS America members, we hope you will become part of a community committed to giving more women a seat at the table by pledging to complete two or more action items over the next year that promote diversity and increase the number and influence of women within your organization.
“It is critical to include more diverse perspectives to ensure we lift everyone as we make investments to transform our transportation system,” said ITS America President & CEO Laura Chace, one of the driving forces behind MobilityXX. “To produce better outcomes for all, we must elevate women’s representation and influence in transportation.”
This Friday, October 1, MobilityXX will launch its #10in10 pledge campaign, primarily on social media, to build awareness and encourage collective action among the industry to elevate women. Later in the month, MobilityXX is hosting a webinar, “10% in 10 Years: Advancing Women in Transportation” – the registration link in here, and we hope you will join us. Speakers are: Karen Philbrick, Executive Director, Mineta Transportation Institute; Jannet Walker-Ford, National Transit and Rail Leader, WSP; Monica Jones, Chief Equity Officer, COTA; Ramin Massoumi, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Transportation Systems, Iteris; and Laura Chace, President & CEO, ITS America.
In the meantime, we encourage you to check out Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and/or Facebook for the first 10 days of October and help spread the word!
