"What Do Existing Household Surveys Tell Us About Gender and Transportation in Developing Countries?" in Transportation Research Board. Women's Issues in Transportation, Volume 2. Washington, DC

Access to affordable, reliable, and safe transportation is critical in improving the welfare of individuals in developing countries. Yet, transport data are limited overall, and data that address the different patterns of use by women and men are even scarcer. A few studies have shown, however, that women and men have different transport needs and constraints. Typically, analysis of these topics has been hampered largely by the costs involved in carrying out the large-scale transportation surveys needed to provide such data. There are household surveys, however, that can provide further insights into how women and men use transportation in the developing world. Four common household surveys—income and expenditure surveys, living standards measurement study surveys, demographic and health surveys, and multiple indicator cluster surveys—are reviewed to identify the extent to which they can provide transportation planners and researchers with relevant data. The results are mixed. Substantial data on one or two aspects of transportation, such as cost and mode used to visit education and health facilities, are available across countries; however, the surveys contain little information on other important factors, such as mode choice, security, and travel patterns. A marginal influence on surveys to expand the data collected on gender and transportation may be possible. Stand-alone transport surveys, however, will continue to be needed to foster the production of gender statistics in transportation in developing countries and the incorporation of gender differences into transport decisions.