Pursuing Women-Empowerment in the Public Transport System : A case study in Sweden

Abstract: This case study applies women's empowerment and feminist theories to discuss the transport system's possible link with women empowerment and understand how a gender-responsive transport system based on women's complex needs would empower them and improve their status of health and well-being. The research area is two small urban in Sweden with less than 1500 populations. The present study investigates the local women's mobility behavior to discover their daily travel challenges. Moreover, determining whether the local transport project, including the train station's commencement, is gender-aware in the policymaking and implementation part and conscious about the gender-mainstreaming and gender equality policies. This research practices the qualitative method by employing semi-structured interviews with a small sample-group of women in the regions. The interpretation of data is being used as the theoretical knowledge approach. Besides, when the COVID-19 pandemic changed people's mobility behavior, they avoided using public transport for safety measurements and working from home. The research's last aim is to observe any change in people's mindset, behavior, and trust level in public transport. The result shows a clear connection between the transportation system and women's empowerment and their well-being. The study presents having gender-awareness perspectives, and raising gender consciousness is necessary if the ultimate aim is designing an equitable transport system to support women's empowerment. The research demonstrates that women still trust and prefer the public transport system and are ready to use it again after the COVID-19 and familiar situation.