Ongoing cross party political backing for efforts to tackle the under representation of women in the sector has been confirmed following the All Party Parliamentary Group for Women in Transport’s annual general meeting.
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Labour MP Ruth Cadbury was reappointed as chair of the group, which agreed a programme of events to continue supporting the agenda. “Our cross party group will continue to work with transport leaders to highlight best practice and improve gender diversity of those recruited to and working in the transport sector,” she said.
She added that, following the launch of a report by the group earlier this year on gender perceptions and experiences of women working in transport, “MPs and Peers were keen to address issues such as barriers to women using e-mobility and the retention of women in the workforce”.
The report included findings that over two thirds of female transport professionals feel the industry has a macho culture and an image problem, while 70% said they had experienced discriminatory behaviour or language in the sector.
It included a number of key recommendations for Government and the industry, including profiling and celebrating the diverse range of professionals contributing to the sector, and embedding flexible working policies post Covid-19.
Professional network Women in Transport will continue to provide secretariat support to the All Party Parliamentary Group. The network’s President Jo Field said: “It’s great to receive continued cross party support to tackle women’s under representation at such a crucial time for the transport industry as it recovers from the pandemic.
“We look forward to working with Parliamentarians to drive forward the recommendations from our recent research, to ensure gender diversity is central to policymaking.”
The announcement comes as organisations including CIHT are today celebrating International Women in Engineering Day, for which this year’s theme is ‘Engineering Heroes'. The Institution is running an online social media campaign highlighting female members to mark the occasion. To find out more about how to participate, click here.
Question and answer profiles of leading women within the Institution are also being featured on the CIHT website, including CIHT Cymru Wales chair Julie Hunt and East Midlands regional chair Dr Sally Barnett.
(Photograph: Julieanne Birch - iStock)
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