Women’s Issues in Transportation: Summary of the 4th International Conference, Volume 2: Technical Papers (2011)

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225 Gender Equality as a Subsidiary Objective of Swedish Transport Policy What Has Happened Since 2004? Åsa vagland, The Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems VINNOVA At the 3rd International Conference on Women’s Issues in Transportation in Chicago 2004, the author presented a paper on the background and reasons why Sweden has a gender-equality objective in the transport sector. This paper describes what has happened since then in the political arena and in the implementation process in government agencies and other stakeholders and on the effect in planning and building new infrastructure and maintaining the existing infrastructure. The author ana- lyzed government bills on transport policy, how propos- als in the bills were formulated in the annual government guidelines for transport agencies, and how the transport agencies—especially the National Rail Administra- tion (Banverket) and the Swedish Road Administration (vägverket)—responded to the proposals and reported to the government in the annual sectoral report. There has been progress in the National Rail Administration and the Swedish Road Administration throughout the period from 2004 to 2009. Awareness has increased, and the discussion about gender equality in planning infra- structure is more mature, even if the results in the trans- port system are not evident. on the other hand, there is concern about how the decision on new transport policy objectives in spring 2009 will influence progress toward a gender-equal transport system. Also important is the change in how annual government guidelines are for- mulated and how it will affect transport agencies’ work toward gender equality. Another issue is the ongoing reorganization in Sweden, where transport agencies are divided and reassembled. How this change will influence gender equality in the transport system is not clear. At the 3rd International Conference on Women’s Issues in Transportation in Chicago 2004, the author presented a paper on the background and reasons why Sweden has a gender-equality objec- tive in the transport sector. That paper described the background, results until 2004, and some conclusions. This paper describes what has happened since then in the political arena and in the implementation process in government agencies and other stakeholders and on the effect in planning and building new infrastructure and maintaining the existing infrastructure. research QuesTions • What has happened since 2004 in the political arena? • What has happened since 2004 concerning imple- mentation in government agencies? • What impact has the objective had in planning and building new infrastructure and maintaining the existing infrastructure? • What is the gender-equality situation in the trans- port sector in Sweden in 2005–2009 and how will today’s decisions affect gender equality in the transport system in the future? sources The author has analyzed government bills on transport policy, how proposals in the bills have been formulated

226 WoMeN’S ISSueS IN TRANSPoRTATIoN, voluMe 2 in annual government guidelines for transport agencies, and how the transport agencies—especially the National Rail Administration (Banverket) and the Swedish Road Administration [SRA (vägverket)]—have responded to the proposals and reported back to the government in the annual sectoral report. BackGround Transport Policy Objectives and Subsidiary Objectives in Sweden For a number of years, Swedish transport policy has been guided by one overall objective and six subsidiary objec- tives in different areas. The subsidiary objectives apply to more precise goals, specifying the objective for different parts of transport policy. They are meant to help attain the overall objective. In the hierarchy of objectives there are also intermediate objectives to help attain the subsid- iary objectives. These objectives were set by the Swedish Parliament, Riksdagen, during the period 1998–2001. In December 2001, the Swedish Parliament established a sixth subsidiary objective for achieving the transport policy objective of ensuring an economically efficient, sustainable transport system for citizens and businesses throughout the country (Swedish Parliament 2001). It is formulated as follows: The transport system shall be designed so that it meets the conditions and travel needs of both women and men. Women and men are to have the same opportunities to influence the initiation, design, and administration of the transport system and their values are to be given the same weight. The overall objective for transport policy is to ensure long-term sustainable transport resources that are socially and economically efficient for the public and industry throughout Sweden. The other subsidiary objectives are an accessible transport system, positive regional devel- opment, high-quality transport, safe traffic, and a good environment. The long-term objectives will remain in effect for an extended period. They are to stand for continuity and a long-term perspective in transport policy. There is no internal order of priority among the long-term objectives. ultimately, all subsidiary objectives are to be achieved. In the short-term, it will sometimes be necessary to prioritize among the subsidiary objectives. This prioritiz- ing should be accomplished primarily by means of real- istic intermediate objectives, taking into consideration available resources, technical possibilities, and interna- tional commitments; the intermediate objectives are to be coordinated. Organization of Swedish Transport Sector Sweden is a parliamentary democracy. At the national level, the people are represented by the Swedish Parlia- ment, Riksdag, which has legislative power. The govern- ment implements the Parliament’s decisions and draws up proposals for new laws and law amendments. The Swedish government is assisted in its work by government offices comprising a number of ministries, central government agencies, and public administra- tions. The Ministry of enterprise, energy and Com- munications is responsible for transport issues. The Swedish ministries, compared with those in many other european countries, are rather small. Instead of large ministries, there are many Swedish expert agen- cies that provide the government with material for decision making. For a long time, Sweden has had four transport agencies: the National Rail Administration (Banverket), SRA (vägverket), the Swedish Maritime Administration (Sjöfartsverket), and the Civil Aviation Administration (luftfartstyrelsen). A new transport agency called Swedish Transport Agency (Transportstyrelsen) was launched on January 1, 2009. It has overall responsibility for drawing up regulations and ensuring that authorities, companies, organizations, and citizens abide by them. The agency is composed of the former inspection agencies for road, rail, air, and sea. There is also a proposal to merge the remaining parts of the transport agencies into one intermodal agency responsible for all four transport modes. A decision by the government is foreseen in early autumn. Government Briefs and Annual Government Guidelines The agencies in Sweden are governed by a government brief (instruktioner) and annual government guide- lines included in the agency’s budget document (regler- ingsbrev). The government brief regulates an agency’s purpose and includes its main tasks in a long-term per- spective. The government brief is not changed often. In December every year, agencies receive an annual budget document, including the government guidelines, for the coming year. The guidelines consist of main tasks in the short term and sometimes include special commis- sions for the agency to carry out. What Has Happened Since 2004? The analysis of what has happened in the field of gender equality in Sweden with regard to the transport sector is divided into three parts:

227GeNDeR eQuAlITY AS AN oBJeCTIve oF SWeDISH TRANSPoRT PolICY • Political arena, • Government briefs and guidelines, and • Reports from government agencies. Political Arena Government Bill on Transport Policy In March 2006, the Swedish government presented a new gov- ernment bill on modern transport policy (Swedish Parliament 2005a), and on May 30 the Swedish Parlia- ment adopted the new transport policy decision. The bill takes into consideration the recommendations put forward through the work of different parliamentary committees and reports from the transport agencies and other bodies in the transport sector. The most important issues in the bill for the objective on gender equality are as follows: • The decision on gender mainstreaming in which all subsidiary objectives should be analyzed through a gen- der perspective, and • The intermediate objective on representation—in 2010, the transport agencies’ steering committees should consist of at least 40% women (or men). The government also proposes that a systematic review of the documentation, working methods, and procedures should be undertaken and that more research should be initiated on typical female and male perspectives and evaluation of transport-related issues. Government Bill on Gender Equality In May 2006, the Swedish Parliament adopted national gender- equality objectives proposed by the government in a bill concerned with gender-equality policy objectives (Swedish Parliament 2005b). The overall objective for gender equality is that women and men have equal power to shape society and their own lives. In the bill, the government also stipulates that gender mainstream- ing is the strategy to be used to achieve the national gender-equality objectives. New Government After the election in autumn 2006, a new government was established. It is a coalition, the Alliance for Sweden, consisting of Moderaterna, Folk- partiet, Centre Party, and Christian Democrats. The new government took over power from the Social Democrats, who have ruled Sweden for 65 of the past 74 years. Government Bill on Transport Policy In March 2009, the Swedish government presented a new bill on trans- port policy (Swedish Parliament 2008) and in June the Swedish parliament adopted the new transport policy decision. The structure of objectives in the new transport pol- icy differs from the former transport policy decision, but the overall objective remains the same: to ensure the economically efficient and sustainable provision of transport services for people and businesses throughout the country. This objective is defined by two new sub- sidiary objectives: one functional objective called acces- sibility and one impact objective on health, safety, and the environment. The accessibility objective is formulated as follows: The design, function, and use of the transport sys- tem will contribute to provide everyone with basic accessibility of good quality and functionality and to development capacity throughout the country. The transport system will be gender equal, meet- ing the transport needs of both women and men equally. To achieve the functional objective the following is proposed: • Travel for people will be improved through increased reliability, security, and convenience. • Transport quality for the business sector will be improved and will strengthen international competitiveness. • Accessibility will be improved within and among regions as well as between Sweden and other countries. • The working methods, implementation, and out- comes of transport policy will contribute to a gender- equal society. • The transport system will be designed to be acces- sible for people with disabilities. • Opportunities for children to travel independently and safely on the transport system, and be present in traffic environments, will be enhanced. • Public transport, pedestrian, and cycling options will be easier to choose. The impact objective on health, safety, and the envi- ronment is formulated as follows: The design, function and use of the transport sys- tem will be adapted to eliminate fatal and serious accidents. It will also contribute to the achievement of the environmental quality objectives and better health conditions. In the text, the government states that men and women still have different travel behaviors and that more knowledge about the underlying causes is desired. The government also states that women’s and men’s conditions and interests are not equally represented in construction, design, and management of the trans- port system and that the current conditions concern-

228 WoMeN’S ISSueS IN TRANSPoRTATIoN, voluMe 2 ing women’s and men’s transport needs, values, and representation motivate further development toward a gender-equal transport system. The former subsid- iary objective is mentioned in the text and the govern- ment states that the objective remains relevant and the work needs to continue in the long term and on a wider scale. The government states that gender equality in the transport system is a main aspect of the new functional objective of accessibility and that a systematic overview of the working methods in the transport sector is needed to ensure that values and needs in different groups of women and men are treated equally. Finally, the government announces that women’s representation on steering boards and elsewhere is important but not sufficient. A further step is needed to develop working methods for gender equality by focus- ing on accomplishments and results in the transport sec- tor toward gender equality in the transport system. The means to obtain this objective is gender mainstreaming. Government Briefs and Guidelines The author has analyzed government briefs and annual government guidelines for the SRA and the National Rail Administration in depth for 2005–2009. Government Briefs The first paragraph in the govern- ment briefs for the SRA and the National Rail Adminis- tration (exemplified by SRA) is as follows: Instructions 1§ The SRA has a common responsibility, a sector responsibility, for the whole road transport sector. The SRA shall work to attain the transport policy objectives. The SRA shall, within their responsi- bility for the road transport sector, work together with, support, and be the driving force toward the other parts of the sector. The second paragraph presents a long list of assign- ments and objectives. The first two sentences are con- nected to transport policy objectives: The SRA shall especially work for an accessible and efficient road transport system while keeping a regional balance, and the construction of the road transport system shall meet the requirements for a safe and environmental road transport sector. The only subsidiary objectives not mentioned specifi- cally in the government briefs are gender equality and transport quality. These paragraphs are the same in the government briefs from 2007 and 2008 as in the old government briefs from 1997. The difference is that some annual assignments have been moved from the annual govern- ment guidelines into the government briefs. Annual Government Guidelines for 2005 and 2006 The overall transport policy objective and the six subsidiary objectives are set as objectives for the SRA and National Rail Administration in the annual government guide- lines. The text below is exemplified with assignments for the SRA, but the same assignments are given to the National Rail Administration. The Swedish Road Administration shall report and comment how the Swedish Road Administra- tion and the road transport sector have worked toward the overall transport policy objective and each of the subsidiary objectives throughout the year. The Swedish Road Administration shall also analyze and report how the road transport sys- tem meets women’s and men’s different transport requirements. When it comes to specifically following up the year’s progress toward the subsidiary objective for gender equality in the transport sector, the assignment for the SRA is as follows: Analyze women’s and men’s usage of the road transport system and their opportunities to influ- ence the construction, design, and management when it comes to travel patterns, travel times, transport modes, travel costs, accessibility to traffic information, number of fatalities and serious inju- ries, and women’s and men’s mobility in different parts of the country. The percentage for men and women who partici- pate in working groups or other cooperation com- mittees that are part of the SRA’s external activities shall be reported. The SRA shall also aim for an equal distribution of power and influence between women and men within the organization. Therefore, a key figure the SRA has to report to the government is the percentage of women and men working on the executive board, the steering com- mittee, and other levels (Figures 1 and 2). Annual Government Guidelines for 2007 and 2008 (Exemplified by SRA) The annual guidelines for 2007 and 2008 have the same assignments for the SRA and the National Rail Administration when it comes to transport policy objectives as in the guidelines for 2005 and 2006, except for two amendments. According to the decision of the Swedish Parliament in June 2006, the wording in

229GeNDeR eQuAlITY AS AN oBJeCTIve oF SWeDISH TRANSPoRT PolICY the annual guidelines was reformulated: “All other sub- sidiary objectives should be analyzed through a gender perspective.” A new intermediate objective has been added to the guidelines: “In 2010, SRA’s steering committees should have at least 40 percent women (or men).” Annual Government Guidelines for 2009 In gen- eral, the annual government guidelines for 2009 are shorter and less detailed than earlier guidelines. In the guidelines for 2009 for the SRA and the National Rail Administration, the paragraph stating the overall trans- port policy objective and the six subsidiary objectives has been omitted. The special assignment to follow up and report how the objectives are attained has also been omitted. The only criterion left is the intermediate objective: “In 2010, SRA’s steering committees should have at least 40 percent women (or men).” Reports from Government Agencies During the period 2004 to 2009, the transport agencies and the Swedish Institute for Transport and Commu- nications Analysis, SIKA, reported their commissions to the government, including the follow-up reports on progress toward the transport policy objectives. 44 56 56 60 53 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Road Rail Pe rc e n t Maritime Aviation Mean Women Men FIGURE 1 Representation of men and women on executive boards in transport agen- cies in Sweden: 2008. (Source: Swedish Institute for Transport and Communications Analysis 2008.) 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Road Rail Maritime Aviation Mean Women Men 40 55 29 50 44 Pe rc e n t FIGURE 2 Representation of men and women on steering committees in trans- port agencies in Sweden: 2008. (Source: Swedish Institute for Transport and Communications Analysis 2008.)

230 WoMeN’S ISSueS IN TRANSPoRTATIoN, voluMe 2 Follow-Up of Swedish Transport Policy Objectives 2005 In the follow-up report for the year 2004, SIKA observed that all transport agencies report on women’s and men’s travel patterns in their yearly reports (Swed- ish Institute for Transport and Communications Analy- sis 2005). The SRA reports in the road sectoral and annual reports how access to cars, the proportion of women and men with a driver’s licence, and the fact that more women than men work part time explains some of the differences in travel patterns and mobility between women and men (Swedish Road Administration 2005). The SRA also reports the number of fatalities and inju- ries by gender. For example, about 85% of drivers killed in the past 5 years were men, while fatalities among car passengers were generally distributed evenly among men and women. SIKA, together with the transport agencies, presented a survey of women’s and men’s representation in leading positions in the transport sector (Markör 2004). Men dominated on executive boards and on steering commit- tees, especially in the interest and sector organizations but also in transport agencies. SIKA’s assessment in the follow-up report was that women’s perspectives and values continue to be poorly represented in planning, decisions, and administra- tion throughout the transport sector. They have poorer opportunities to influence the design of the transport system. Follow-Up of Swedish Transport Policy Objectives 2006 In the introductory chapter of the road transport sectoral report for 2005, the SRA states that the sectoral report emphasizes presenting a goal analysis of the trans- port policy objectives (Swedish Road Administration 2006). The intention is to provide an exhaustive descrip- tion in this year’s report that could be used as a basis for future sectoral reports. In the text, the SRA describes how far different subsidiary objectives have come in the process of achieving a complete goal analysis. For gender equality and regional development, the first step requires analyzing the objective and the purposes and intentions behind it. For accessibility, the next step is to translate the objective into comprehensive parameters; for transport quality, it is necessary to find measurement methods, instruments, and measuring of parameters. For environment and safety, parameters are linked to time. The last step of the objective analysis concerns casual relationships. Consequently, the chapter on gender equality focuses on intentions behind the objective. The chapter starts by describing the government’s general gender-equality pol- icy by describing policy decisions, theory, and strategy followed by a description of why Sweden has a gender- equality objective in the transport sector. Parameters for determining the degree of achievements are discussed— both the current parameters and new parameters. Cur- rent parameters are travel patterns, usage of different transport modes, access to cars, and participation in working groups. The SRA proposes two types of new parameters: parameters describing the degree of integra- tion and parameters describing the current degree of gen- der equality with regard to the design and function of the transport system. examples of parameters describing the degree of integration are percentages of women and men who state that they are able to influence decision making, research, construction, design, and management of the transport system. examples of parameters describ- ing the current degree of gender equality with regard to the design and function of the road transport system are percentages of women and men who feel safe and believe the road transport system meets existing transport needs as well as the degree of attention paid to female and male physical characteristics when developing and designing roads and safe vehicles. Finally, the SRA reports on travel patterns, access to cars, drivers’ licences, and rep- resentation in working groups. The SRA states that the currently used parameters are not sufficient for a com- prehensive assessment and, consequently, the degree of goal achievement cannot be measured. In the follow-up report for 2005, SIKA concluded there was a lack of analysis of the basic cause for wom- en’s and men’s particular travel patterns. In-depth stud- ies are required for knowing how the resources should be distributed to meet the interests of both sexes. SIKA also noted that transport agencies allocated very small resources to work with the gender-equality objective, which means that work to achieve equality in the trans- port system moves very slowly. SIKA stated that the situation remained the same: women’s perspectives and values continue to be poorly represented in planning, decisions, and administration throughout the transport sector, which means they have poorer opportunities to influence the design of the trans- port system. Follow-Up of Swedish Transport Policy Objectives 2007 For the reports declaring the circumstances in 2006, the new assignment to analyze all other subsidiary objectives through a gender perspective is in force. In the road transport sectoral report for 2006, the SRA analyzed the road safety objective through a gender perspective (Swedish Road Administration 2006). The SRA has carried out and presented an analysis of risk of injuries in the road transport system, stating that the risk for men being killed as car drivers is twice as high as that for women. Men expose themselves to greater risk more frequently by violating speed limits, not using seat- belts, and driving when intoxicated. Men’s and women’s attitudes toward traffic safety also differ. The subsidiary

231GeNDeR eQuAlITY AS AN oBJeCTIve oF SWeDISH TRANSPoRT PolICY objective on the environment has, at least partly, been analyzed through a gender perspective. The SRA states that there are a number of differences between how women’s and men’s travel behaviors affect the climate. one difference concerns purchasing cars, with men on average giving priority to performance and engine power whereas women give priority to more practical things. In the chapter on gender equality, the SRA contin- ues the discussion about the intentions of the subsidiary objective. For example, the SRA states that there is a need to make gender patterns visible (including infor- mation about quantitative and qualitative parameters distributed on gender) and letting the information be reflected in financial control, planning processes, goals, resource allocations, and monitoring of work done. Citi- zens’ needs are to be captured in these processes, identi- fied as women’s and men’s respective experiences, and built into the transport system on equal terms. The SRA also refers to Jämstöd’s1 strategy and model for gender- equality integration, called the “staircase.” The staircase method shows how to integrate gender equality into an organization. New, improved parameters measuring gender equality in the road transport system and mea- suring the degree of gender equality in the organization are proposed by the SRA. Finally, the SRA also reports about women’s and men’s use of the system and some background facts that explain why there are differences (i.e., part-time work, household chores). Representation in working groups, on boards, and so forth is also pre- sented. The chapter ends with some reflections on why the figures are the way they are concerning gender pat- terns in the organization and in the transport system. In the follow-up report for 2006, SIKA, on the other hand, does not refer to the annual and sectoral reports from the different transport agencies (Swedish Road Administration 2007). Instead, SIKA states that the dif- ferences between women’s and men’s travel patterns are significant and that there is still a lack of analysis of the basic cause of women’s and men’s travel patterns. The new intermediate objective about the percentage of women and men on steering committees is reported. SIKA concludes that it is unlikely that the intermediate objective of a gender-equal representation (about 40% women or men) on steering committees in 2010 will be attained. Follow-Up of Swedish Transport Policy Objectives 2008 In the road transport sectoral report for 2007, the SRA made an effort to analyze the overall transport policy objective and all six subsidiary objectives through a gender perspective (Swedish Road Administration 2008). A gender-equality heading is connected to each 1 Jämstöd was an inquiry into support for gender-equality integration within the state. objective and even to the intermediate objectives for accessibility and the environment, but usually the text below states only that there are no assessment methods for measuring gender equality (yet). If possible, statis- tics are reported for women and men. For example, girls travel more by car and use school transport more than boys, while boys cycle to a greater extent. The objective that has the most thorough gender- equality analysis is traffic safety, in which seatbelt and helmet use are reported by women and men and there is also a discussion about injury risks and women’s and men’s attitudes to road safety. When reporting about air pollution, a study showing that it was twice as common for women, compared with men, to feel disturbed by air pollution is mentioned. In the gender-equality chapter, the SRA states that gen- der equality is created where ordinary decisions are made, resources are distributed, and standards are established and a gender perspective must therefore be included in everyday work. The result is that the services offered to citizens are equally accessible, have the same high quality, and are equally adapted to all, regardless of gender. It is also stated that the most important part of the subsidiary objective is to be responsive to women’s and men’s values and needs. When these values and needs have been dealt with fairly, continuously, and self-evidently, a gender- equal transport system has been achieved. The SRA presents five strategies to achieve its objective: • Women and men should have representation in all groups. • Women and men should be offered equal opportu- nities to use the road transport system. • All statistics should be divided into women and men. • SRA employees must have knowledge, competence, and understanding of gender mainstreaming. • SRA management systems should be designed to take a gender perspective into account. The SRA considers that the long-term work to achieve gender mainstreaming in the administration has devel- oped during the year. The increase in basic understand- ing mainly is a result of more employees attending gender mainstreaming courses during the year. The SRA has also created a detailed document for gender equality for the period 2008 to 2017, stating that each area of activity should be responsible for gender mainstreaming. The discussion on how to measure gender equality and proposed indicators is continued from the sectoral report from earlier years. Finally, the SRA summarizes: There still is a male dominance in forums that influ- ence the construction, design, and management of

232 WoMeN’S ISSueS IN TRANSPoRTATIoN, voluMe 2 the road transport system and that travel patterns for women and men are a reflection of gender pat- terns in society. In the follow-up report for 2007, SIKA reports on how transport agencies have dealt with analysis of all other subsidiary objectives through a gender perspec- tive, on representation of women and men on boards and committees, on gender mainstreaming efforts, and on how women’s and men’s transport patterns and needs are fulfilled. When analyzing the sectoral reports from transport agencies, SIKA concludes that a lot of work remains before all other subsidiary objectives can be analyzed through a gender perspective. Statistics are often divided into women and men, but analysis of why they differ is rare. SIKA refers to some examples from the civil avia- tion report and the SRA report. SIKA presents the percentages of women on execu- tive boards and steering committees in transport agen- cies. This year, SIKA’s assessment is that it is possible for transport agencies to have at least 40% women and men on executive boards and steering committees in 2010. Gender mainstreaming is the means to attain a gender- equal transport system. SIKA reports from the discussion in the SRA sectoral report, mentioned above, and also about an e-learning course with basic knowledge about gender equality, financed by the SRA, the National Rail Administration, and Stiftelsen Minerva. The aim is for all employees at the SRA and the National Rail Admin- istration to attend the course. SIKA also reports from the sectoral reports by the Civil Aviation Administration and the Swedish Maritime Administration. SIKA finally states that differences remain between women’s and men’s travel patterns, and it is difficult to judge to what extent their transport needs are fulfilled in the transport system. Follow-Up of Swedish Transport Policy Objectives 2009 In the road transport sectoral report for 2008, the SRA continued to analyze the overall transport policy objective and all six subsidiary objectives through a gen- der perspective (Swedish Road Administration 2009). In some cases, the same facts and reports as in the 2008 report are used again. For most objectives, the changes are long term and cannot be observed over 2 years. In the accessibility chapter, the SRA reports from a commuter route project in the southern part of Swe- den, where the project members prioritized routes that can contribute to strengthening and developing local labor market regions for women, as these regions are geographically smaller, ahead of routes that expand the wider geographic labor market regions for men. Another gender analysis was carried out in a commuter project in the southwestern part of Sweden where the result showed that planned measures to improve commuting in some cases benefit women and men differently. In Gothenburg, similar analyses were carried out during the year. In the gender-equality chapter, the SRA is continuing the discussion on how to measure gender equality and how the SRA should work toward achieving a gender- equal road transport system (i.e., the strategies). The SRA is also reporting on how gender equal the road trans- port system is, on measures the SRA carried out during 2008, and on other factors that contribute to attaining the objective. The structure and some of the text are the same as in earlier sectoral reports, but the discussion is slightly more mature every year. In the follow-up report for 2008, SIKA reports about analysis of all other subsidiary objectives through a gen- der perspective, representation of women and men on boards and committees, gender mainstreaming efforts, and how women’s and men’s transport patterns and needs are fulfilled. When analyzing sectoral reports from transport agen- cies, SIKA concludes that there has been an improve- ment in the way the agencies analyze the other subsidiary objectives through a gender perspective. SIKA presents the percentage on executive boards and steering committees in transport agencies. For execu- tive boards, all transport agencies are gender equal. For aviation, the percentage is 60% women and 40% men, which is the limit for gender equality. In 2004, only road and aviation had gender-equal executive boards. The difference is even greater when comparing the steering committees between 2004 and 2008. In 2008, only maritime had a steering committee without at least 40% women (or men). In 2004, the share of men on steering committees was around 80% in all the transport agencies. When analyzing the percentage of women and men managers in the transport agencies, a large majority of managers are still men in the SRA (81%), the National Rail Administration (76%), and the Swedish Maritime Administration (85%), while the Civil Aviation Admin- istration has nearly as many women managers (43%) as men managers. SIKA’s assessment in the follow-up report is that it is possible for the transport agencies to attain a share of at least 40% for both women and men on executive boards and steering committees in 2010. Gender mainstreaming is the means to attain a gender- equal transport system. SIKA reports from the sectoral reports about the actions the National Rail Administra- tion has carried out during the year: the compulsory e-learning course, counting women and men attending consultation meetings among other things. SIKA also reports from the Civil Aviation Administration, the Swedish Maritime Administration, and the SRA.

233GeNDeR eQuAlITY AS AN oBJeCTIve oF SWeDISH TRANSPoRT PolICY Also this year, SIKA states that there are still differ- ences between women’s and men’s travel patterns, and it is difficult to judge to what extent women’s and men’s transport needs are fulfilled in the transport system. In the report, SIKA refers to research reports analyzing the basic causes behind travel patterns for women and men. SIKA also reports from surveys carried out during the year on how women and men value different parts of the transport system differently. analysis and conclusions The Decision in 2001 The political decision, taken in 2001, to add a sixth subsidiary objective on gender equality in the transport sector was essential to start the gender mainstream- ing process in the transport sector in Sweden. Without the new subsidiary objective, transport agencies would never have started working toward gender equality in the transport system in this systematic way. This fact was also stated by the director general2 for the SRA at the postdisputation seminar on Wittbom’s thesis (2009). He stated that the SRA would never have come this far without the subsidiary objective and the commis- sions in the annual government guidelines to follow up the overall objective and the subsidiary objectives. Transport Agencies’ Sectoral Reports After the decision was made, the new subsidiary objective was put into the annual government guidelines, together with the other objectives, with the assignment for the transport agencies to follow up the progress toward attaining the objectives. With the commission to follow up the new subsidiary objective, the transport agencies had to report on the progress toward gender equality. When analyzing the period 2005 to 2009, the author’s impression is that the transport agencies, especially the National Rail Administration and the SRA, have matured in the way they think about the subsidiary objective on gender equality, compared with the earlier period 2002 to 2004 (vagland 2004). The text referring to the sec- toral reports has attempted to describe this process by providing examples of issues discussed in the sectoral reports. There is a change in how different transport agencies report about the gender equality objective. This paper analyzed the National Rail Administration and the SRA, the largest agencies with the most resources put into the sectoral reports. examples have also been presented from 2 Ingemar Skogö, June 17, 2009. the SRA sectoral reports together with the follow-up reports made by SIKA. The SRA has covered the great- est distance toward the objective on gender equality in the transport sector. The SRA started in the sectoral report for 2005 and forward to emphasize goal analyses in the sectoral reports and the whole structure of the sectoral report changes in 2005 compared with earlier years. Consequently, the chapter on gender equality also had another structure. In 2005, a more mature discussion started about the gender-equality objective: the background, what gender equality means, and ways to attain the objective. The SRA has decided on strategies for working toward the objective and has worked through measures for both the process and the state of the road transport system. The effects of the subsidiary objective in the trans- port system are difficult to measure on a more long-term perspective. The present transport system is the result of investments over several hundred years even if the investments of the past 75 years are the most important. Today’s transport system is explained by the values and needs of those who planned, decided, and constructed it throughout the entire period. The transport agencies, and especially the SRA, are now aware that it makes changes involved in the processes of planning, designing, constructing, and maintaining the transport system. The SRA has also decided on a program for gender mainstreaming within the SRA and, together with the National Rail Administration, financed an e-learning course that is compulsory for all employees. The SRA has realized that knowledge and competence are needed to be able to work toward gender equality. New Government, New Transport Policy Objectives The current government, elected in 2006, stands for a number of changes in trends by reformulating the struc- ture for the transport policy objectives, by rephrasing the annual government guidelines, and by reorganizing the transport sector. With the new transport policy structure, the subsidi- ary objective on gender equality in the transport system is no longer valid. The following questions are raised: What effect will it have on gender equality in the trans- port sector? How much will the gender-equality perspec- tive influence future infrastructure plans, construction, and maintenance in the transport sector when there is no specific objective? Will transport agencies continue to work toward a gender-equal transport system? Are they mature enough to keep working toward a gender-equal transport system even if there is no longer a subsidi- ary objective and the objectives no longer are explicitly expressed in the annual government guidelines? The sec-

234 WoMeN’S ISSueS IN TRANSPoRTATIoN, voluMe 2 ond change is the way the government has decided to use the annual government guidelines. When taking out the objectives and the annual assignments to report to the government about the work toward transport policy objectives, the whole governing structure for govern- ment agencies is changed. The Swedish National Finan- cial Management Authority (ekonomistyrningsverket) has started analyzing the changes in how the annual government guidelines are written. A first report is pre- sented with quantitative analysis comparing the annual government guidelines between 2008 and 2009, but the long-term effects of the changes will not be evident for a few years (ekonomistyrningsverket 2009). Third, reorganization of the transport agencies might change the way the SRA and the National Rail Administration have worked until now, depending on the new government briefs and the executive board for the new transport agency (or agencies) and also on how knowledge and competence in gender mainstreaming in the current transport agencies are taken on in the new organization. Representation on Executive Boards and Steering Committees The intermediate objective on percentage of women (and men) on executive boards and steering commit- tees for 2010 is the only gender-equality objective left in the annual government guidelines. The representation of women and men on executive boards and steering committees is one of the easiest ways to measure gen- der equality and development since the decision in 2001 was successful. on average, the intermediate objective is already attained even though the Swedish Maritime Administration has only 29% women on its steering committee. A new transport agency is one way to attain the intermediate objective and the author hopes and believes this part of the objective—“the same opportuni- ties to influence the construction, design and manage- ment of the transport system” through representation on executive boards, steering groups, and other important decision-making groups—will still be valid even if the subsidiary objective is not valid as an objective. As the government states in the government bill on transport policy, women’s representation on steering committees is important but not sufficient (Swedish Par- liament 2008). The government mentions working meth- ods for gender equality, focusing on accomplishments and results in the transport sector as the means to achieve gender equality. The author is not convinced that this goal can be achieved without a subsidiary objective on gender equality and without special commissions for transport agencies in the annual government guidelines to report and follow up the work toward gender equality. What Will Happen in the Future? What will future governments and future parliaments decide on concerning transport policy objectives? Would it be possible to reintroduce a gender-equality objective again or did a window of opportunity make it happen in 2001? Does Sweden still need a gender-equality objective in the transport sector? references ekonomistyrningsverket: Rapport Kartläggning av reglerings- brev. 2009. Förändring av regleringsbreven mellan år 2008 och 2009. eSv 2009:16. Stockholm. Markör. 2004. Representation av kvinnor och män i beslu- tande organ inom transportsektorn. Markor, Stockholm. Swedish Institute for Transport and Communications Analysis. 2005. Follow-up of the Swedish Transport Policy Objec- tives. SIKA Rapport 2005:1. May. Swedish Institute for Transport and Communications Analysis. 2007. Follow-up of the Swedish Transport Policy Objec- tives. SIKA Rapport 2007:3. May. Swedish Parliament. 2001. Infrastruktur för ett långsiktigt hållbart transportsystem. Government Bill 2001/02:20. Swedish Parliament, Stockholm. Swedish Parliament. 2005a. Moderna transporter. Government Bill 2005/06:160. Swedish Parliament, Stockholm. Swedish Parliament. 2005b. Power to Shape Society and Your Life—Towards New Gender Equality Policy Objectives. Government Bill 2005/06:155. Swedish Parliament. Stock- holm. Swedish Parliament. 2008. Mål för framtidens resor och trans- porter. Government Bill 2008/09:93. Swedish Parliament, Stockholm. Swedish Road Administration. 2005. The Road Transport Sector, Sectoral Report, 2004. Annual Report 2005. SRA, Borlange. Swedish Road Administration. 2006. The Road Transport Sec- tor, Sectoral Report, 2005, 22E. SRA, Borlange. Swedish Road Administration. 2007. The Road Transport Sec- tor, Sectoral Report, 2006, 22. SRA, Borlange. Swedish Road Administration. 2008. The Road Transport Sec- tor, Sectoral Report, 2007, 38. SRA, Borlange. Swedish Road Administration. 2009. The Road Transport Sec- tor, Sectoral Report, 2009, 34. SRA, Borlange. vagland, Å. 2005. Gender equality as a Subsidiary objective of Swedish Transport Policy. In Conference Proceedings 35: Research on Women’s Issues in Transportation: Report of a Conference; Volume 2: Technical Papers, Transporta- tion Research Board of the National Academies, Washing- ton, D.C., pp. 189–195. Wittbom, e. 2009. Breaking Norms. On Management by Objectives for Gender Mainstreaming. Stockholm uni- versity, Sweden.

235GeNDeR eQuAlITY AS AN oBJeCTIve oF SWeDISH TRANSPoRT PolICY resources Regeringskansliet: 2009:2: New Anti-discrimination Legislation and a New Agency, The Equality Ombudsman. January. Swedish Institute for Transport and Communications Analysis. 2003. Follow-up of the Swedish Transport Policy Objec- tives. SIKA Rapport 2003:5. May. Swedish Institute for Transport and Communications Analysis. 2004. Follow-up of the Swedish Transport Policy Objec- tives. SIKA Rapport 2004:3. May. Swedish Institute for Transport and Communications Analysis. 2006. Follow-up of the Swedish Transport Policy Objec- tives. SIKA Rapport 2006:2. May.