Monday 11th March 2024 marked the unveiling of the Women in Transport Equity Index 2023 Report*, which lays bare the gender disparities within the UK transport sector. This groundbreaking report reveals the realities women face and calls for urgent action to break down systemic barriers and forge a path towards a truly inclusive and equitable industry. The launch event also signifies the announcement of the 2024 Index Survey and Report. Building upon the impactful revelations of 2023, the upcoming report will delve even deeper, offering a year-over-year evaluation with the aim of propelling the industry into a new era of gender equity.
Sue Terpilowski OBE, Project Lead for the Equity Index presents the headline findings
This groundbreaking survey, the first of its kind in the world for the transport sector, examines workforce composition, leadership diversity, gender pay gap, and career development. Overall, those organisations that took advantage and undertook the complete WORK180 survey, when combined, achieved an overall rating of 50%**, revealing a stark reality that demands industry-wide transformation. This places the sector just into the 'Progressing' range from foundational. The industry has much work to do to reach the 80% pace-setting range. The generated scores are based on the responses provided in the DEI assessment, broken down across the 10 key workplace equity standards.
Ruth Cadbury MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Women in Transport, said:
“It’s fair to say that the Transport sector has a very male-dominated workforce, and that needs to change both for those working in the sector and those who use it. The Equity Index is an important tool in that journey, as we will only know success if we can measure it. I therefore welcome the launch of this report and its recommendations.”
The 2023 Index findings are an urgent call for change.
The Challenge and The Opportunities:
A mere 23% of the workforce identifies as women and more than half of the 23% are in non-transport roles.
Shockingly, 58% of organisations admit to a gender pay gap of 11% or more, surpassing the national average.
A staggering 54% of organisations lack formal targets, commitments, or quotas for gender diversity.
59% offer no support to primary carers in the form of paid parental leave.
While 94% of organisations claim to be open to discussing flexible working arrangements, the reality for women remains far from ideal.
88% offer flexible start and finish times, but this alone falls short of addressing the deep-rooted gender disparities.
Sonya Byers, CEO of Women in Transport, said,
"Our report is a wake-up call. The UK transport sector needs urgent and drastic changes to become a beacon of gender equity. It's time for the sector to move beyond lip service and embrace transformative actions for a fair and inclusive future. This can only be achieved through cross-sector collaboration”.
Sue Terpilowski, OBE Project Lead for the Equity Index, added,
"The Women in Transport Equity Index exposes the uncomfortable truths the industry is facing. It's not just a report; it's a call to arms. We cannot allow gender inequality to persist in a sector pivotal to our nation's growth and economy."
Recommendations for Immediate Action:
Scrutinise and rectify the glaring gender pay gaps within their structures.
Smash through the glass ceiling by implementing radical, impactful measures for internal promotions.
Champion industry-wide initiatives to empower women into leadership positions.
Overhaul policies surrounding paid parental leave, a fundamental right denied to a significant portion of the workforce.
Tear down the façade of flexibility and reshape it to meet the actual needs of women in the sector.
Unveiling the unseen, unspoken, and unsettling, this report doesn't mince words. It's a stark call to action. The Women in Transport Equity Index 2023 lays bare the harsh truths that have long been ignored. It's a wake-up call for a sector that needs to do much more on gender equality.
At the forefront of its revelations is a pressing call for the UK to reelevate its focus on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations within the transport sector. As the sector grapples with gender inequality, it is imperative to integrate ESG principles to drive sustainable and ethical practices.
Download the Women in Transport Equity Report 2023 here
*The Equity Index survey was undertaken by our partner WORK180.
** The combined aggregated core of the companies was 50%. This equates to the foundational level of WORK180's gender equity scale, indicating significant room for improvement and is only marginally above the baseline rating by 1%.
Celebrating the trailblazers
The launch event was generously hosted by Turner & Townsend in St Paul’s. The Equity Index provides us with an opportunity celebrate the progress being made, highlight best practice and identify where we can do more to support equity across the sector.
Rachel Skinner CBE, Patron and founding board member of Women in Transport, delivered the keynote address and spoke about the importance of data and collaboration across transport to support equity and inclusion. Rachel is the Chair of the Transport Employment Skills Taskforce (TEST). TEST is a partnership between industry and Government comprising of leading transport industry figures, including Sonya Byers, who are best placed to reflect the sector’s concerns on skills and the transport labour market.
Rachel Skinner CBE delivered the keynote address
At the event, we celebrated our overall index winners and highly commend our individual category winners. Our thanks to these trailblazing companies for leading in the way. Sharing data and sector wide collaboration is key to helping us drive equity in transport which has benefits for the entire sector.
Certificates were presented to the winners by Sue Terpilowski OBE, Rachel Skinner CBE and Louise Morgan (Director of Strategy, Private Office and Governance, Department for Transport).
The railway sector has performed admirably across all the transport sectors. Southeastern Railway secured the top spot across all of the Index, four other organisations that were highly commended are also rail operators: Nuclear Transport Solutions (NTS Global), Northern Trains, London North Eastern Railway, and Govia Thameslink Railway.
Within the modal categories, we highly commended the following companies based on their survey results:
Overall winner: Southeastern Railway
Highly Commended
Bus and Coach: Lothian Buses
Cross-sector: Reed Mobility
Consultant: Turner & Townsend
Cycling: Brompton
Logistics: Road Haulage Association (RHA)
Maritime: Port of Dover and Nuclear Transport Solutions
Rail: London North Eastern Railway (LNER)
Image 1: Category winners presented with certificates by Rachel Skinner, Sue Terpilowski and Louise Morgan
Image 2: Laura Taylor from RHA
Image 3: Kathy Collins and Sam Wilkinson from Nuclear Transport Solutions
Image 4: Pam Page from Turner and Townsend
Image 3: Claire Ansley and and Jamie Ashton from Northern Trains and Tracey Barber from LNER
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