TRANSPORTATION INSIGHTS | 6

7th International Conference on Women and Gender in Transportation

September 9–11, 2024
Irvine, California

TRANSPORTATION INSIGHTS | 6

SUMMARY REPORT

September 9–11, 2024 | Irvine, CA

7th International Conference on Women and Gender in Transportation

Mehri Mohebbi, Rapporteur

University of Florida Transportation Institute

Transportation Insights 6

ISBN 978-0-309-99261-9

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This summary was reviewed by the technical panel and accepted for publication according to procedures established and overseen by the Transportation Research Board and approved by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

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Suggested citation: Transportation Research Board. Transportation Insights 6: 7th International Conference on Women and Gender in Transportation. Summary Report, September 9–11, 2024. Washington, DC: The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2025.

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Planning Committee

Chair

Jennifer Dill, Transportation Research and Education Center, Portland State University

Members

Flora Castillo, Pivot Strategies

Victoria Christopher, Intelligent Transportation Society of America

Victoria Deguzman, Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Irvine

Maryanne DeMarco, Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations

Brittney Gick, Texas A&M Transportation Institute

Nadji Kirby, Conference of Minority Transportation Officials

Caroline Mays, Texas Department of Transportation

Mehri Mohebbi, University of Florida Transportation Institute

Eve Moir, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority

Tham Nguyen, HDR Inc.

Hilary Nixon, Mineta Transportation Institute, San Jose State University

Léa Ravensbergen, McMaster University

Sandra (Sandi) Rosenbloom, University of Texas at Austin

Shari Schaftlein, Federal Highway Administration

TRB Standing Committee on Women and Gender in Transportation

Chair

Hilary Nixon, Mineta Transportation Institute, San Jose State University

Members

Audra Bandy, Federal Highway Administration

Michelle Bina, WSP

JoAnne Chalom, In Focus Mobility

Nicole Campbell, Minnesota Department of Transportation

Bhuvanachithra Chidambaram, Technische Universität

Cécile Coquelet, Road Safety DU in Africa, Université Gustave Eiffel

Victoria Deguzman, Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Irvine

Alexa Delbosc, Monash University

Floridea Di Ciommo, cambiaMO

Jennifer Dill, Transportation Research and Education Center, Portland State University

Alireza Ermagun, George Mason University

Amy Fong, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Brittney Gick, Texas A&M Transportation Institute

Tara Goddard, Texas A&M University

Jodi Godfrey, Center for Urban Transportation Research, University of South Florida

Gwyn Kash, Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, U.S. Department of Transportation

Tope Longe, Amazon Web Services

Adrianne Malasky, Federal Railroad Administration

Lucía Mejía-Dorantes, Consultant

Nikhil Menon, Pennsylvania State University, Harrisburg

Mehri Mohebbi, University of Florida Transportation Institute

Eve Moir, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority

Winnie Okello, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources; Harassment and Assault Reporting Platform (H.A.R.P.)

Bernadette Phelan, Phelan International LLC

Alyssa Ryan, University of Arizona

Atiyya Shaw, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Ying Song, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Sara Stickler, Global Cold Chain Alliance

Taru Taru, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Kezban Yagci Sokat, Mineta Transportation Institute, San Jose State University

Shamsunnahar Yasmin, Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety–Queensland

Emeritus Members

Susan Herbel, Cambridge Systematics, Inc.

Sandra (Sandi) Rosenbloom, University of Texas at Austin

Transportation Research Board Staff

William B. Anderson, Senior Program Officer

Gary A. Jenkins, Program Operations Manager

James Manning, Operations Coordinator

Publications Staff for Transportation Insights

Natalie Barnes, Director of Publications

Heather DiAngelis, Associate Director of Publications

Janet McNaughton, Senior Editor

Jennifer J. Weeks, Publishing Projects Manager

TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD 2025 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE*

OFFICERS

CHAIR: Leslie S. Richards, Professor of Practice, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

VICE CHAIR: Joel M. Jundt, Secretary of Transportation, South Dakota Department of Transportation, Pierre

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Victoria Sheehan, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC

MEMBERS

James F. Albaugh, President and CEO, The Boeing Company (retired), Scottsdale, AZ

Carlos M. Braceras, Executive Director, Utah Department of Transportation, Salt Lake City

Douglas C. Ceva, Vice President, Customer Lead Solutions, Prologis, Inc., Jupiter, FL

Nancy Daubenberger, Commissioner of Transportation, Minnesota Department of Transportation, St. Paul

Marie Therese Dominguez, Commissioner, New York State Department of Transportation, Albany

Garrett Eucalitto, Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Transportation, Newington

Andrew Fremier, Executive Director, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, San Francisco, CA

Martha Grabowski, Professor Emerita, Information Systems, Le Moyne College, Madden College of Business & Economics, Cazenovia, NY

Randell Iwasaki, President and CEO, Iwasaki Consulting Services, Walnut Creek, CA

Carol A. Lewis, Professor, Transportation Studies, Texas Southern University, Houston

Hani S. Mahmassani, W.A. Patterson Distinguished Chair in Transportation; Director, Transportation Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL

Scott C. Marler, Director, Iowa Department of Transportation, Ames

Ricardo Martinez, Adjunct Professor of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Decatur, GA

Russell McMurry, Commissioner, Georgia Department of Transportation, Atlanta

Craig E. Philip, Research Professor and Director, VECTOR, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN

Steward T.A. Pickett, Distinguished Senior Scientist, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY

Susan A. Shaheen, Professor and Co-Director, Transportation Sustainability Research Center, University of California, Berkeley

Marc Williams, Executive Director, Texas Department of Transportation, Austin

EX OFFICIO MEMBERS

Michael R. Berube, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Sustainable Transportation, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC

Steven G. Bradbury, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC

Steven Cliff, Executive Officer, California Air Resources Board, Sacramento

LeRoy Gishi, Chief, Division of Transportation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior, Germantown, MD

Firas Ibrahim, Director, Office of Research, Development, and Technology, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology (OST-R), Washington, DC

Jason Kelly, Deputy Commanding General for Civil Works and Emergency Operations, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, DC

Sandra Knight, President, WaterWonks, LLC, Washington, DC

Ben Kochman, Acting Administrator, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Washington, DC

Zahra “Niloo” Parvinashtiani, Engineer, Mobility Consultant Solutions, Iteris Inc., Fairfax, VA, and Chair, TRB Young Members Coordinating Council

Chris Rocheleau, Acting Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration, Washington, DC

Gloria Shepherd, Acting Deputy Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, Washington, DC

Karl Simon, Director, Transportation and Climate Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC

Paul P. Skoutelas, President and CEO, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, DC

Jim Tymon, Executive Director, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington, DC

___________________

^* Membership as of May 2025.

Contents

Summary

Preface

Acronyms and Abbreviations

Introduction

Conference Objectives

Welcome and Opening Session: The Trajectory of Research on Women’s Issues in Transportation from the 1970s to 2024—Do the Past, Present, and Future Converge?

Jennifer Dill, Moderator, Sandra (Sandi) Rosenbloom

Plenary Sessions

Plenary Session 1: Trends in Reducing Disparities and Gaps in User Experience for Women and LGBTQIA+ Across All Modes

Shari Schaftlein, Moderator, Veronica Vanterpool, Lori Porreca, Esther Wagner, Marilyn Shazor, Bernadette Dupont, Adam Tindall-Schlicht

Plenary Session 2: Women and Gender Workforce Trends Within the U.S. Department of Transportation

Angie Berry-Roberson, Moderator, Sue Lawless, Susan Fletcher, Sylvonica Madlock, Kelly Regal, Talethia Thomas

Plenary Session 3: Keynote Address

Caroline Mays, Moderator, Monali Shah

Plenary Session 4: The Crucial Role of Women’s Safety Research in Creating a Focus on Women’s Transportation Issues

Sandra (Sandi) Rosenbloom, Moderator, Kari Watkins, Susan Herbel, Danena Gaines

Plenary Session 5: Women in Leadership: Empowering Women Leaders in Transportation—Journeys, Challenges, and Inspiration

Caroline Mays, Moderator, Maryanne DeMarco, April Rai, Karen Philbrick, Ann Brach

Plenary Session 6: Women in Leadership: Empowering Women Leaders in Transportation—Journeys, Challenges, and Inspiration

Maryanne DeMarco, Moderator, Marilyn Shazor, Caroline Mays, Branden Villalona, Katie Walker

Plenary Session 7: Call to Action and Wrap-up

Jennifer Dill, Moderator, Hilary Nixon, Brittney Gick, Caroline Mays, Maryanne DeMarco, Léa Ravensbergen

Workshops

Workshop 1: Securing Safe Journeys—Enhancing Transportation Safety Through a Gender Lens

Alyssa Ryan, Moderator, Floridea Di Ciommo, Nikhil Menon, Lori Porreca, Sushmita Bhandari

Workshop 2: Empowering the Future—Gender Equity and AI in Transportation

Mehri Mohebbi, Moderator, Karen Philbrick, Patricia Hu, Renee Autumn Ray, Alyssa Ryan, Nikhil Menon

Roundtable: The Role of Nonprofits in Advancing Gender Equity

Karen Philbrick, Moderator, April Rai, Beverly Scott, Sarah Yurasko, Eboni Wimbush

Panel Sessions

Panel Session 1: Women in Transport—Why Recruitment Does Not Assure Retention

Audra Bandy, Moderator, Winnie Okello

Panel Session 2: Towards Inclusive Transit—Incorporating Gender into Transit Agency Policy and Decision-Making

Kirsten Tilleman, Moderator, Samuel Rosenthal, Mira Patel, Chelsea Richer, Susan O’Donnell, Cate Heady, David Cooper, Cathryn Alvarado, Meghna Khanna, Alicia Trost, Nicole Waldheim, Mary Rose Fissinger

Panel Session 3: The Road Less Traveled—Not All Paths to Success Are Linear

Avital Barnea, Moderator, Maria Meleandez, Kate Amissah, Melissa Figueora, Elisa Borowski

Panel Session 4: Challenges That Women Face in Multimodal Freight Transportation and Opportunities for Successes

Paula Dowell, Moderator, Marilyn Surber, Sue Lawless, Lindsay Mullins

Panel Session 5: The Impact of Remote Work in the Engineering Industry on Women’s Effectiveness and Productivity

Katie Woods, Moderator, Avital Barnea, Alyssa Ryan, April Rai

Panel Session 6: Rewriting Normal—Lifting as We Climb

Beverly Scott, Moderator, Melissa Figueroa, Erica Iheme, Madeline Janis, Aamina Bulbulia

Panel Session 7: Women’s Issues in Transportation—How Wild Women Redefined Research and Practice

Ariane Dupont-Kieffer, Moderator, Tara Goddard, Susan Handy, Sandra (Sandi) Rosenbloom, Zachary Schrag

Research Sessions

Research Session A: Institutionalizing Gender in Transportation Agencies and Decision-Making

Nadji Kirby, Moderator, Carole Voulgaris, Michelle Bina, Seema Singh, Poorva Jain, Lauren Fischer, Rosalie Ray, Emily Grisé, Bogdan Kapatsila

Research Session B: Mobility of Care

Noreen MacDonald, Moderator, Sang-O Kim

Research Session C: Gender and Cycling

Tham Nguyen, Moderator, Shahrzad Enderle, Mallika Gupta, Saquib M. Haroon, Léa Ravensbergen

Research Session D: Mobility Barriers and Transport Disadvantage

Mehri Mohebbi, Moderator, Courtney Cronley, Maria Laura Guerrero Balarezo, Léa Ravensbergen, Martin Trepanier, Genevieve Boisjoly, Noelle Fields, Stephen Mattingly, Nicole Iroz-Elrado, Nithisha Gudipati

Research Session E: Gendered Experiences Using and Accessing Transit

Léa Ravensbergen, Moderator, Pearl Liu, Maria Calahorra-Jimenez, Greer Cowan, Gustavo Garcia Melero, Alejandra Valencia-Vásquez

Research Session F: How Gender Affects People’s Travel Behavior and Experiences

Eve Moir, Moderator, Sharmin Nasrin, Oxana Ivanova, Erika Shepard, Suzanne Childress, Alyssa Ryan, Steve O’Hern

Research Session G: The Role of Transportation in Human Trafficking

Maryanne DeMarco, Moderator, Elizabeth Pfenning, Shayna Goldsmith, Kezban Yagci Sokat, Marisa Auguste, Gian-Claudia Sciara, Christi Wigle, Chris Baglin

Research Session H: Spatial Accessibility and Gender

Mehri Mohebbi, Moderator, Evelyn Blumenberg, Aditi Misra, Claire McGinnis, Anastasia Soukhov, Manish Shirgaokar, Shubhayan Ukil, Sneha Naga Tallavajjula, Wesley Marshall, Maria Carolina Lecompte, Léa Ravensbergen, Lucía Mejía-Dorantes, Antonio Páez

Research Session I: Gender and New Mobility

Brittney Gick, Moderator, Fariba Siddiq, Natalia Perez-Bobadilla, Brian D. Taylor, Hannah Willson, Lauren N. McCarthy, Henrik Nolmark, Marie Thynel

Research Session J: Gender Diversity and Workforce

Léa Ravensbergen, Moderator, Jodi Godfrey, Julia Leone, Megan Peterson, Maria Calahorra-Jimenez, Samantha Lacey, Nicole Tyler, Gustavo Garcia Melero, Frances Yue

Poster Sessions and Networking

Potential Future Research

Appendix: Conference Agenda

Summary

The 7th International Conference on Women and Gender in Transportation (WGiT 2024) brought together professionals, researchers, and policymakers in Irvine, CA, from September 9 through 11, 2024. Organized by the Transportation Research Board, the conference provided a platform to discuss challenges and opportunities related to gender equity in transportation systems worldwide.

Over three days, discussions centered on the intersection of gender, mobility, and transportation policy, emphasizing the need for systemic change to ensure equitable access and participation for all. With a focus on women’s experiences as transportation users, gender dynamics in the workforce, and institutional pathways for leadership and policy change, WGiT 2024 highlighted progress, ongoing barriers to progress, and strategies for driving meaningful transformation.

Speakers, panelists, and participants explored a range of topics, including disparities in access to mobility, the role of gender in transportation workforce recruitment and retention, the application of artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics to address transportation inequities, and persistent concerns related to safety and security in transit environments. Discussions underscored the importance of intersectional approaches, considering gender alongside race, socioeconomic status, disability, and other dimensions of identity to ensure transportation systems are inclusive and accessible.

One key theme was institutional accountability in transportation policy and planning. While research and advocacy have increased awareness of gender disparities, gaps remain in data collection, workforce development, leadership representation, and policy implementation. Discussions focused on the role of equity-focused research, data-driven decision-making, collaboration across industries, and community engagement in addressing these challenges.

AI and other emerging technologies were also discussed as important tools to improve mobility solutions. At the same time, concerns were raised about bias in data and in decision-making algorithms, highlighting the role of ethical frameworks in ensuring inclusivity. Discussion on workforce gender equity also addressed mentorship, leadership development, and workplace culture, with a focus on creating environments where women and members of historically overburdened communities can succeed.

Safety and security remain fundamental transportation concerns. Participants explored strategies to design gender-sensitive infrastructure, improve transit accessibility, and develop policies that respond to the lived realities of women and vulnerable populations using public transit. Research findings and case studies demonstrated that enhancing

safety involves a combination of policy interventions, community-driven initiatives, and improved public awareness.

As the transportation industry evolves, WGiT 2024 reinforced the importance of gender equity in research, policy, and practice. The discussions and insights from the conference will serve as a foundation for ongoing efforts to develop inclusive mobility policies, advance workforce equity, and create transportation systems that support accessibility, safety, and sustainability for all users.

Preface

The 7th International Conference on Women and Gender in Transportation (WGiT 2024) was hosted by the Transportation Research Board (TRB) from September 9 to 11, 2024, at the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center in Irvine, CA. The conference brought together over 300 participants, the majority of whom were women. Attendees included practitioners, researchers, and policymakers from local, tribal, state, national, and international levels. The event provided a platform to explore challenges and opportunities in integrating gender equity into transportation systems worldwide.

WGiT 2024 reaffirmed TRB’s commitment to fostering inclusive and equitable transportation systems, centering discussions around three interconnected themes:

• Women’s experiences as transportation users,
• Gender and workforce dynamics in transportation, and
• Leadership and systemic change to institutionalize equity.

The conference highlighted the importance of an intersectional approach in addressing equity challenges in transportation. Discussions explored how gender intersects with race, socioeconomic status, disability, and other dimensions of identity. Considering these factors can help transportation systems better serve diverse user needs, particularly those of historically overburdened communities.

Another focus of the conference was creating and implementing institutional frameworks that embed equity considerations in transportation planning and operations. Discussions covered gender-sensitive policies, such as safety-focused design standards and gender-responsive budgeting, as well as accountability measures and the integration of equity considerations into sustainability and climate resilience strategies.

Some participants highlighted the role of continuous learning and adaptive leadership in driving systemic change. Conversations explored ways to equip leaders with the tools to challenge norms, address unconscious biases, and create inclusive cultures.

This summary, prepared by rapporteur Mehri Mohebbi, is a compilation of the presentations and a factual summary of the ensuing discussions at the event. The conference planning committee was responsible for organizing speakers and coordinating activities. The views contained in this summary reflect those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of all participants; the planning committee; TRB; or the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. This summary should not be interpreted as a consensus statement or official

positions of the planning committee, event participants, TRB, or the National Academies.

This document was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purposes of this independent review are to provide candid and critical comments that will assist TRB in making the published summary as sound as possible and to ensure that the document meets institutional requirements for clarity, objectivity, and responsiveness to the project charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the process.

TRB thanks Natalie Villwock-Witte (Western Transportation Institute, Montana State University), Brittney Gick (Texas A&M Transportation Institute), and Kate Wullert for their contributions as reviewers. Although they provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they did not see the final draft of the summary before its release. Responsibility for the final content of this summary rests entirely with the rapporteur and the institution. The planning committee thanks Mehri Mohebbi for her work in preparing this summary.

Acronyms and Abbreviations