Blog

The image shows participants of the Jane's Walk standing together, all wearing white caps with the Women on the Move logo.

Building Feminist Cities

The second Building Feminist Cities workshop was held at the Asian and the Pacific Transport Forum 2024 in Manila. Over two sessions, we explored what it means to develop truly inclusive, sustainable transport systems for the 21st century. Session 1: “Looking at the Intersections of Inclusivity” A panel of four…

Free Bus Passes For Women – A Tool For Improved Gender Equity in Urban Transportation?

A wave of vibrant images flooded the pages of major newspapers across India in June 2023. Photos of packed buses brimming with smiling passengers were not just ordinary scenes They hailed from Karnataka, a Southern Indian state, that has recently unveiled a revolutionary program:  free bus passes for women and…

Nakuru Adopts Kenya’s First Public Transport Code: Paving the Way for Safety, Inclusion and Sustainability

Nakuru County is home to Kenya’s newest and fourth-largest city after Nairobi, Mombasa, and Kisumu. Public transport is the lifeline of any city, and Nakuru is no exception. With an annual growth rate of 3.58% and an attractive tourist hub boasting key national parks, the county needs formal, affordable, and…
Illustration of four people with different disabilities

Inclusive Mobility Beyond Ramps

Different Disabilities Bring Different Challenges Disabilities can profoundly impact people’s everyday experience, especially for the most vulnerable in society. They can exacerbate poverty by limiting education and employment opportunities as well as access to healthcare. An inclusive and accessible transportation system gives people with disabilities easy access to education, employment,…
Three older women walking in a park, one with a walker

Advancing Gender Equity in Urban Mobility Planning: A Comparative Case Study

This blog article is based on the Master Thesis “Comparative Case Study on the Integration of Gender Mainstreaming in Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans” in Political Science at University of Cologne by Julia Remmers.  Why should Gender Mainstreaming be applied to SUMPs? In the context of global commitments to a sustainable…
Women with bicycles standing in a group, listening to an instructor. The phot is taken over the instructor's shoulder.

Never underestimate the power of building community

© BYCS, EIT Urban Mobility How does TandEm work? Alex:  We are looking for women to promote cycling. We select a group of 10 women to participate in a train-the-trainer program and are about to start our third cohort. They receive about 25 hours of training, both online and in…
Woman and man walking in Lagos in the shade of a tree, in front of a brick wall that says "walking" in yellow paint.

The seven principles of data feminism every transport planner should know

In the world of feminism and research, a new  term has emerged in recent years: “Data Feminism”, which often replaces  the term “Gender Data”. The term has started trending after Catherine D’Ignazio and Lauren Klein’s new  book. The fact is, ever since feminism has existed, so has Data Feminism. From…
Laura Ballesteros Mancilla at the Remarkable Feminist Voices Award Ceremony 2023

Interview with Laura Ballesteros: Tireless Efforts for the Women in Motion Network

On the Talking Transport Transformation podcast, we had the privilege of speaking with Laura Ballesteros Mancilla, a public policy and regulation expert. She is also the co-founder of Mujeres en Movimiento (Women in Motion), a network that connects advocates of gender-sensitive mobility across various sectors in Latin America. While commemorating…
Portrait of Aimée Gauthier

Interview with Aimée Gauthier: Mobility of Care

Have you ever wondered about the many hidden trips that underpin the care work holding our daily lives together? Inés Sánchez de Madariaga coined the concept mobility of care, shining light on the daily travel patterns and mobility needs that go along with reproductive labor. Aimée Guthier from ITDP works…
Cyprine Odada and other women on bikes at a Critical Mass Nairobi event

Interview with Cyprine Odada: Cycling is gender-inclusive: Bike trains for everyone

Cyprine Odada is one of Women Mobilize Women’s Remarkable Feminist Voices in Transport 2023. She leads Critical Mass Nairobi, the largest gathering of non-competitive cyclists in Africa. As an urban planner, mother, and cyclist, she advocates for cycling as a mode of transport in the city. One of the most…
Yasmine Al Moghrabi at the TUMI Conference 2023

Interview with Yasmine Al Moghrabi: Empowering Change – Yasmine’s Journey in Road Safety Advocacy

At the International Transport Forum 2023, we had the chance to talk to youth leader Yasmine Al Moghrabi. She had been awarded the title of a Remarkable Feminist Voice in Transport 2023 just a few days before. We had an inspiring chat with the Lebanese-born activist about her journey, her…
Group photo Egre Menged Impact Event

Empowering Ethiopian Women Through Cycling

Transport Situation in Africa’s Second Most Populated Country Like most metropolises, Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, is an overcrowded, dense, and busy environment that leaves little space for its inhabitants to take public spaces. Even though about 85% of society relies on active mobility or public transportation, the city is mainly…
Olesia Kholopik at the Remarkable Feminist Voices Award Ceremony 2023

Interview with Olesia Kholopik: A Feminist View on Ukraine’s Mobility Landscape

Though Kyiv lies only 1,500 kilometers from Berlin, travel between the two capital cities has been hindered tremendously since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Yet Olesia Kholopik, the Director of the Centre for Democracy and Rule of Law undertook what is now a days-long journey in March…
Keisha Mayuga at the TUMI Conference 2023

Interview with Keisha Mayuga: Feminist Perspectives on Biking and Commuting

  Keisha Mayuga first learned how to ride a bike when she was seven years old. In the years since, she has found the bicycle the fastest and most efficient means of transport and wants to make cycling a safe mobility option for everyone, especially women. A staunch advocate of…
Walk21 Session on Gender and Walkability, Kigali, Rwanda 2023

Gender Dynamics of Walkability

Building Walkable Cities for all – New interventions from research and practice This article builds on the session “Gender Dynamics of Walkability” at the Walk 21 Conference held in Kigali, Rwanda, on October 19th. Researchers and practitioners shared insights from their work in social movements, initiatives and field studies that…
Urda Eichhorst, Kalpana Viswanath, Insa Illgen and Laura Ballesteros at the Building Feminist Cities conference in Delhi, India 2023

Working together for gender-responsive sustainable transport

[New Delhi, 02 November 2023] – In a significant leap for the global transport sector, different organizations working in the field of gender and mobility – including Safetipin from India, Women on the Move (WotM) from Asia, Mujeres en Movimiento (Women in Motion) from LATAM, and Women Mobilize Women (WMW)…
Senator Crystal Asige speaking at the TUMI Conference 2023

Designing infrastructure to empower people with disabilities 

Recoining Visually Impaired Person to VIP   “I must confess that I didn’t really want to end up here”, Crystal Asige says at the beginning of her speech, explaining that she has faced more challenges than she bargained for: As soon as I was comfortable in my skin, there was racism.…
Robin Chase giving a keynote speech at the TUMI Conference 2023

Keynote by Robin Chase “About Women, All of Us”

  I’m so delighted to be here. Thank you for inviting me. Five years ago, when I was here last, I was blown away by what happened on this stage during that day and I thought I had to come see it again. I have been instructed to talk a…
Girls waiting for school bus in Africa

Leveraging Digital Tools and Data for more Feminist Transport Systems in Africa

Leveraging the power of data and digital technologies to ensure women’s mobility needs are center stage Africa is urbanizing rapidly. Much of this growth (70 to 100%) is catered for by popular transport services which go by many local names – matatus, danfos, dala dalas, boda bodas, minibus taxis –…
Female bus drivers in Bogotá, Colombia

How to create gender-inclusive transport: Lessons from around the world

The Sustainable Transport Award  Every year, the Institute for Transportation & Development Policy (ITDP) gives the STA to a city. Winners are recognized for transport, street design or policy improvements that increase mobility and improve the quality of life of urban residents with the goal of supporting the often-unrecognized progress…
Robin Chase at the TUMI Conference 2023

Interview with Robin Chase: The right to free movement

In our podcast Talking Transport Transformation (TTT), we interviewed Robin Chase. The mobility entrepreneur, co-founder of Zipcar and founder of NUMO explains her vision of an equitable and sustainable future mobility, speaks about overcoming resistance against new solutions, the responsible use of data, and the role of electric private vehicles.…
TUMI Conference 2023 - Remarkable Feminist Voices in Transport

TUMI Conference 2023: Feminist voices in transport take center stage

By WMW Ambassador Melissa Bruntlett On Tuesday, May 23rd, nearly 200 participants from around the globe, and countless others online, came together in Leipzig for the annual TUMI Conference. For Women Mobilize Women, this was a special year, marking 5 years since WMW was launched and the initiative to realize…
Remarkable Feminist Voices Award Ceremony by Women Mobilize Women 2023

Love letters to our cities: Recapping a remarkable week in Berlin

Next began the monumental task to select the 30 women to comprise our Remarkable Feminist Voices in Transport, and from them, select the 20 who would join us in Berlin from the 27th of February to 3rd of March. While there are countless women raising their voices to establish gender…

Towards Safe and Empowering Streets and Public Transport Systems for Women and Girls in Latin America

By Sonia Medina Getting around a city as a woman is a big challenge, not only because of the countless care trips we make; expensive transport fares (relative to our income) or inaccessible sidewalks, but also because of the sexual harassment we face. Wherever we are, we have all felt…
Women in the street

Women’s Role in Climate Resilient Development

By Courtney Tenz Electrified mass transit The latest IPCC report, released in early 2022, is very blunt about what the future holds — “climate change is a threat to human well-being and the health of the planet.” To lower that threat, scientists have proposed a series of solutions promoting climate…
Woman with cargo bike

Can Cargo Bikes Close the Gender Mobility Gap?

With vast gender differences impacting mobility choices, urban planners and researchers have been working to uncover workable solutions for closing the gap and ensuring women have the same transport opportunities as men. Some cities, like Tartu, Estonia, have approached this through a reconsideration of the built environment, reorganizing their city…
We stand with all women and oppressed communities to fight for their rights, self-determination and independence.

Women’s rights, self-determination and independence

While Women Mobilize Women mainly stands for gender equitable transport systems and a diverse transport sector, the fundamental principle we fight for is self-determination. Self-determination means that no matter what gender I identify with, I can use the mode of transport of my choice and feel safe. Self-determination means that I can…
Women in bus

Addressing Sexual Harassment on Transport starts with Prioritizing it

By Melissa Bruntlett The road to reducing the frequency of women experiencing sexual harassment on public transport is not direct, and while advocacy groups can play a role in bringing light to these issues and creating a trusting, safe place to share stories, they can’t afford to set up these…
Entering subway

Awareness, Advocacy, and the role of data in addressing sexual harassment on Public Transport

By Melissa Bruntlett  In 2018, Women in Urbanism Aotearoa (WiU) joined the voices, creating a campaign to share the stories of women in New Zealand to try to educate the public on what it’s like to use public transport and walk and cycle as a woman in New Zealand. WiU…
Girls cycling

Freedom to Move: How cycling helps enable more inclusive transport

By Melissa Bruntlett What is often not communicated is how cycling in all its forms can be a tool for emancipation for women, providing freedom and autonomy to move through the city unencumbered, facilitating the varied types of journeys women make, and even providing a tool for taking one’s power…
The 15-minute city: A Feminist Utopia?

New Publication: The 15-Minute City – A Feminist Utopia?

Take a look at our latest publication by Women Mobilize Women ambassador Melissa Bruntlett here. By Melissa Bruntlett

Safe Travels! Public Transit Initiatives that kept Women Rolling During the Pandemic

By Courtney Tenz Doing so was vital to the well-being of women, as more women use public transport than men. Making up 70 % of health care workers globally, women were at the frontline of the fight against the pandemic, and thus relied even more on functioning transit operations.  As…
Entering subway

Safe commuting for all – How cities can tackle sexual harassment on public transport

By Gillian Ertel Introduction One of the most important principles is how anti-sexual harassment campaigns have been mainstreamed by transportation authorities into everyday operations. London, Colombia, Mexico, and France have active campaigns that call attention to understanding how women’s experiences in cities are vital to fully grasp the problem of…

How electric cycles and micro-mobility are enabling more inclusive transport by Melissa Bruntlett

The rapid growth of electric cycles and micro-mobility options is not a new phenomenon. For the past decade (or more) an increasing number of more sustainable, electric-powered vehicles have showed up on streets around the globe. Some are successful, some less-so, but their prevalence has not dissipated over time. I…

Feminist Mobility: Why I am speaking up about it and what it means to me – by Melissa Bruntlett

With International Women’s Day just around the corner, I find myself reflecting on what it means to be part of the group of passionate people that are speaking up for feminist mobility and its vital role in creating a more equitable mobility landscape. It may seem obvious for some; being…

Broadened horizons: How first and last mile connections can expand women’s travel radius

For many women, public transportation plays an important role in maintaining an independent lifestyle. Less likely to own a car in many parts of the world, women also drive less frequently than men and are thus more reliant on other means of transport. Yet in the past, transport planners have…

How to improve gender disparities in mobility and urban spaces

TTT Podcast Gender-inclusive mobility with Ines Kawgan-Kagan and Sonal Shah What lies ahead on the road to gender-inclusive mobility? In many cities, there is no lack of options for getting from Point A to Point B. Though no two cities are alike when it comes to mobility choices, in many…

Bridging the Mobility Gap with Bicycles in Rural Zambia

TTT Podcast Empowering women in Zambia through cycling with Wyson Lungu Wyson Lungu was working in the telecommunications sector when the idea to bring bicycles to remote villages in Zambia first struck. Stranded in the middle of a valley after his 4×4 broke down, Lungu discovered for himself how perilous…

#ElectricWomen nominations have closed

Women will revolutionize the electric vehicle sector. Our #ElectricWomen nominations have closed! We have received 81 total nominations. As we move towards an emissions-free future, women are playing a key role in the transportation transformation. More aware of environmental issues and more likely to believe that climate protection should have…

Overcoming barriers to women’s mobility

Authors:Krishna Desai, Shirish Mahendru, Andrea Bluemel The original article was published by Krishna Desai on LinkedIn. Background The SDG 5 and 11 of the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by United Nations Member States, aims at “Achieving Gender Equality and Empower All Women and Girls”; and “Make Cities and Human Settlements…

Women for human-centered urban planning

How Jane Jacobs stood up against male-dominated, car-centered city planning  Author: TUMI It’s almost impossible to imagine New York City without the hustle and bustle of its subway, the teeming diversity and uniqueness of its neighborhoods, and the sidewalks humming with life.  Had it not been for the efforts of urbanist Jane…

‘Upward-thrusting buildings ejaculating into the sky’ – do cities have to be so sexist?

The original article was published by the Guardian.  Find it here: ‘Upward-thrusting buildings ejaculating into the sky’ – do cities have to be so sexist? | Architecture | The Guardian Glass ceilings and phallic towers. Mean streets and dark alleys. Road names and statues of men. From the physical to…

Urban Planning Has a Sexism Problem

The original article was published by nextcity.  Find it here: Urban Planning Has a Sexism Problem – Next City Take a moment to look around you. Really look. See the city — the streets, the buildings, the spaces between them — and realize for a moment that virtually everything you…

Keeping women safe with Elsa Marie D’Silva

Listen to the original podcast here Intro: Hi everyone welcome back to TTT-  the talking transport transformation podcast. Brought to you by TUMI, the transformative urban mobility initiative. In today’s episode we will have a look at women’s safety in public spaces. To get some deeper insights into this topic…

“We have to bring the village back to the city”

The original article was published in German by the ZEIT. Find the original article here: Stadtplanung: “Wir müssen grundsätzlich zu einem anderen Mobilitätsverhalten kommen” | ZEIT ONLINE Translated into English by TUMI The Austrian urban planner Eva Kail has been working for 30 years to ensure that Vienna is not only…

The male city

The original article was published in German by the ZEIT.  Find it here: Städteplanung: Die männliche Stadt | ZEIT ONLINE Translated into English by TUMI It’s actually funny: people build something for people, and the result is a place where humans as living beings are obviously not intended. The street under…

Cycling as a Women’s Movement in Rural Tamil Nadu

The original article was published by the wire. Find the original article here: Cycling as a Women’s Movement in Rural Tamil Nadu (thewire.in) Cycling as a social movement? Sounds far-fetched. Perhaps. But not all that far – not to tens of thousands of neo-literate rural women in Pudukkottai district of…

Three Women who Changed the Course of History On Bicycles

The original article was published by Momentum. Find the original article here: Three Women who Changed the Course of History On Bicycles | Momentum Mag Susan B. Anthony, famed suffragette leader and women’s rights reformer, once said of the bicycle, “I think it has done more to emancipate women than…
The views and opinions expressed in the blog articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Women Mobilize Women