Celebrating Women On Transit
March 1, 2022
Women's History Month began as a national celebration in 1981 when Congress authorized and requested the President to proclaim the week beginning March 7, 1982 as “Women’s History Week.” It wasn't until 1987, after being petitioned by the National Women’s History Project, Congress designated the entire month of March 1987 as “Women’s History Month.”
Each year, Women's History Month celebrates women who have built, shaped, and improved the world in which we live. Women like Caroline Le Count, who played an integral role in successfully integrating Philadelphia's streetcars, and Rosa Parks who resisted segregation by refusing to move to the back of a bus, and Jane Jacobs - her book "The Death and Life of Great American Cities" is one of the most influential books in the history of city planning and her concepts still influence pedestrian and transit planning efforts today.
This year, to celebrate Women’s History Month and International Women's Day (March 8), we are highlighting women within the industry and how they worked or are working to improve transportation for all, women's needs in urban mobility, and how women use public transportation.
Globally, women constitute the majority of public transportation users. In France, for instance, two-thirds of passengers on public transportation networks are women. The latest data from the American Community Survey (ACS) of the United States Census concludes that women are more likely to ride public transportation to work than men, whereas men are more likely to drive to work. In the United States, 55% of mass transit riders are women (it's closer to 61% on SEPTA). This might not seem like a significant difference; however, it is noteworthy when considering the workforce overall – 53% male and 47% female.
Women have different needs and behaviors when it comes to transportation and mobility. Studies show that whereas men’s travel patterns are fairly easy to predict, women’s are more complex due to the social roles ascribed to women. Faced with historically heavier household responsibilities, women tend to take jobs closer to home and work less hours and/or work irregular hours, often in lower-paid industries. Data from the Transport Secretary for the city of Buenos Aires shows that more than two-thirds of trips made by men are for work, compared to only one-half of trips made by women. Almost one-third of trips made by women are for household chores while only one-eighth of men’s trips are related to household responsibilities.
Statistically, women are also more likely to "trip-chain", where they engage in multi-purpose and multi-stop trips along their journey, likely due to household obligations such as childcare, assisting elder family members, and making grocery stops. The difference is significantly higher among women who have young children. Having a young child in the house increases women’s trips by 23% as women are three times more likely than men to take children to school and 80% more likely to trip chain. This data is one of the reasons why SEPTA moved to free transfers on transit in 2020. It's also why we're revolutionizing our bus network to be more efficient, reimagining Regional Rail to go beyond the commute, modernizing our trolleys so that they are not only ADA accessible but also stroller-friendly, and creating an easier-to-navigate metro system with better wayfinding and safety at the forefront. As an agency, we recognized the need to improve equity, affordability, and ease-of-travel for our customers.
The good news is transportation agencies are starting to re-examine their assumptions when setting policies or designing new services. Most notable is LA Metro’s groundbreaking 2019 study, “Understanding How Women Travel,” which digs into the transit behavior and needs of women while highlighting the obstacles they face while using it. Some of the key findings include:
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Adjustments to services, vehicle design, and policy would help minimize the time, cost, safety, and physical burdens of riding transit for women.
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For women who rely on transit, an unreliable system has real consequences. A late train can mean daycare fines, a skipped stop can mean a missed medical appointment, and infrequent early morning or late night service can limit employment opportunities.
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For women on transit, issues of convenience and comfort are inextricably linked to issues of access, safety, and reliability.
And according to some studies - the problem with public transit design is that it does not take gender-specific needs into account. For example, bus straps are difficult to reach for many women as they were designed to accommodate an on-average taller male body. In subways, trying to get on and off in a timely manner with small children or a stroller is challenging.
Even still, there have been many strong, courageous, and innovative women who have helped to transform the ways we think about and use transportation. Their contributions have enhanced safety and increased the efficiency of all modes.
DYK it was a woman - Mary I. Riggin - who invented the railway crossing gate? And in 1891, it was Mary Walton who earned a patent for her railroad sound-dampening apparatus for elevated railways, which laid the tracks in a wood box lined with cotton and filled with sand?
Eliza Murfey patented 16 devices for improving railroad car axles. These devices were used to lubricate the axles with oil, which reduced derailments caused by seized axles and bearings.
And Olive Dennis was the first female member of the American Railway Engineering Association and was a pioneer in customer service. Among the innovations that Ms. Dennis introduced on passenger trains were seats that could partially recline; stain-resistant upholstery in passenger cars; ceiling lights that could be dimmed at night; individual window vents (which she patented) to allow passengers to bring in fresh air while trapping dust; and, later, air conditioned compartments. Other rail carriers followed suit in the years that followed, and buses and airlines in turn had to upgrade their level of comfort in order to compete with the railroads. Ms. Dennis' legacy for these innovations and comforts goes largely unknown outside of the railroad community. Her design patents were signed over to the railroad and her name does not appear in the publicity materials for the Cincinnatian, despite her designing it.
Today, women comprise only 15% of the transportation workforce, and even less at the CEO and C-suite level. And U.S. Census data shows that from 2005 to 2019, the proportion of women in transportation occupations only increased by 3%.
Fortunately, things are starting to change as governments and transit agencies recognize the need for greater equity and inclusion. And this is why in October 2021, SEPTA joined MobilityXX, a partnership of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America), The Ray and WTS International, in engaging the broader transportation industry to increase the number of women from all backgrounds in the transportation workforce by 10% over the next 10 years - #10in10. Because to effectively solve the complex challenges of the transportation industry (like accessible bus straps and ramps for strollers) - all perspectives are valuable and essential. Infrastructural change can help to make transit safer.
Lucky for us - in our region - women "rule" transportation!
As Regional Administrator, United States Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration-Region III, Terry Garcia Crews and her team oversee the Federal funding for Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Ms. Garcia Crews guides 28 professionals in two offices - Philadelphia and Washington, DC, who provide grant development and program management support to our community partners.
Confirmed unanimously by the Pennsylvania Senate on May 27, 2020, Yassmin Gramian, PE, serves as the Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. As secretary, she oversees programs and policies affecting highways, urban and rural public transportation, airports, railroads, ports, and waterways. She manages PennDOT's annual budget of $9.5 billion, which is invested in all of Pennsylvania's approximately 120,000 miles of state and local highways and 32,000 state and local bridges. Under her leadership, PennDOT is directly responsible for nearly 40,000 miles of highway and roughly 25,400 bridges. She also has oversight of the state's 11.8 million vehicle registrations and 10.3 million driver's licenses and IDs.
Rochelle (“Chellie”) L. Cameron was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Philadelphia International Airport in January 2016. As CEO, Ms. Cameron serves as the City’s chief aviation representative in local, state, national and international affairs. She is responsible for the operation of the Airport System and directing the planning, development and administration of all activities of the City’s Division of Aviation, including both Philadelphia International Airport and Northeast Philadelphia Airport.
SEPTA General Manager/CEO Leslie S. Richards is SEPTA's 11th General Manager/CEO. Ms. Richards oversees a budget of more than $2 billion and 9,500 employees As the sixth largest public transportation agency in the U.S., SEPTA operates across six transportation modes and has 2,800 vehicles in service, 285 subway and rail stations, 13,000 bus and trolley stops, and 150 routes. Prior to joining SEPTA in 2020, Ms. Richards served as the first woman secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), one of the largest and most innovative transportation agencies in the U.S. She teaches a graduate transportation planning program at the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design. A staunch advocate for women and diversity in transportation and government, Ms. Richards has been recognized for her leadership in the industry and commitment to public service.
In February 2021, City Councilmember Cherelle Parker made history by becoming the first woman elected to serve as the Delaware River Port Authority board chair. The 16-member board oversees operations of the bi-state agency. Collectively, the Authority’s four bridges and PATCO high-speed line serve millions of commuters and local businesses. In her role, Ms. Parker oversees a bi-state agency with a $305.1 million annual operating budget, an $846 million five-year capital budget and an 874-member workforce.
At its core, public transportation enables economic growth, opportunity, and personal freedom — fundamental rights all people deserve to exercise. That’s why, throughout Women’s History Month, we’re proud to feature (on or social media accounts) women that ride SEPTA and that work at SEPTA - both on the frontlines and behind the scenes - all of whom make an impact on the system and the industry as a whole by embracing the role public transportation plays in sustainability, accessibility, and community growth. For truly sustainable and equitable cities, public transportation must be representative of - inside and out - those that ride.
Want to be featured on our social media? Email your photo and which mode(s) you ride!
