Citation

Pol M, Zoutendijk D, Blom U. Transp. Res. Rec. 1995; 1493: 136-142.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1995, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

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Abstract

In the literature on emancipation and mobility it is often assumed that mobility policy impedes women's chances of acquiring equal opportunities in paid employment and activities outside the house. It is said that too much emphasis is placed on the use of the traffic and public transport system by men; therefore, the demands women have in using the transport system are not met. A literature search is conducted to determine the influence of Dutch mobility policy on the emancipation process in the Netherlands. Further, the validity of this assumption is tested. Relevant policy measures with respect to mobility and traffic safety are evaluated on the basis of three emancipation indicators: (a) the increase in possibilities to participate in employment by women, (b) the increase in possibilities to do activities outside the house by women, and (c) the increase in housekeeping by men. One conclusion of this study is that mobility is just one of the many aspects influencing emancipation. Mobility can be seen as more or less facilitating emancipation, but never as decisive in itself. Another finding is that the effects of the mobility measures do not impede the emancipation process as is assumed in current literature. Most measures are rated neutral or slightly positive on the indicators. This can be explained by the fact that most policy measures tend to increase the attractiveness of modes of transport other than the car. Only few policy measures aim to decrease the use of cars directly.

Record URL:
http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1995/1493/1493-016.pdf

Language: en

Keywords

Accident prevention; Automobiles; Public policy; Employment; Motor transportation; Mass transportation