Fostering Gender-sensitive Mobility: Recommendations in the Context of Carsharing

Abstract

Individual mobility behavior is influenced by various factors. Gender roles for example, have led to significant differences between the mobility patterns of women and men. Compared to men, women engage more in care work, are more likely to work part-time, and are less frequently able to access a private car. Women often take more frequent but shorter travel trips, longer trip chains, and fewer trips for personal reasons (Kawgan-Kagan & Popp 2018). In order to ensure fair mobility for different user groups, urban areas offer an increasing number of mobility options for navigating without a private car – be it on foot, by bike, using public transport, or other mobility services such as car-sharing. The latter especially, is becoming more prevalent in cities but tends to be used more predominantly by men rather than women. Placing the sole blame on car-sharing operators would be too simplistic. Often, it is regulatory or planning conditions that make it challenging to design car-sharing attractively for all genders. Car-sharing is still a niche product that too few people are aware of, and the location, proximity and service offerings play a crucial role, which are still inadequate. Reasons for this include the limited availability of parking spaces in both public and private spaces (e.g., underground garages), especially in cities. For women, proximity to the workplace and residence is particularly significant. Moreover, car-sharing is perceived as too expensive and complicated to be truly attractive, especially considering that women are often more economically disadvantaged than men and have more complex routes due to caregiving responsibilities. This contribution addresses recommendations for action regarding car-sharing, targeting politics and operators, and specifying them through the lens of gender-sensitive mobility. Furthermore, gaps are identified where research on mobility and gender should continue to advance.