Skip to main content

Women

Advocating for equal rights, representation and opportunities for women.

We're prioritising women’s visibility, activism and leadership in an industry where women are under-represented and men’s needs are still the default.

 

By providing a safe space for women transport workers to be heard, they can collectively shape trade union, industry and government priorities to include their needs... needs that are so often overlooked in research, policy, planning, industry development and monitoring.

ISSUES

The transport industry is unequal and stubbornly viewed by some as no place for women, where myths and stereotypes about women’s suitability for many transport jobs still persist today. Entrenched industry culture, priorities and practices ensure significant barriers remain to women’s recruitment, retention, promotion, safety, dignity and respect in jobs traditionally viewed as ‘men’s work’ – often the highest paid and most secure jobs in transport.

The issues of most importance to women transport workers are still very under-represented in transport decision making at all levels. The impacts are wide reaching and include fundamental human rights violations. Issues like lack of safe access to clean toilets; gender-based violence and harassment from the public, supervisors and managers, the police and other authorities; uniforms, PPE and equipment designed for men’s bodies; over-representation in informal work with a lack of social protection; concentration in the types of work being decimated by automation and digitalisation; work design that does not recognise the disproportionate caring responsibilities faced by women. Women’s invisibility as transport workers is also evident through a persistent lack of gendered statistics, research, gender impact assessments and gender-responsive economic stimulus.

Contact us

Email

WHAT WE DO

From campaigning for sanitation rights to implementing a global women’s advocacy programme, the women transport workers committee is committed to a gender-equal new normal across the transport industry. In the face of attacks on women’s rights around the world, disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 and austerity measures on women, and an industry that remains highly gendered, together we are bringing a collective voice of women transport workers to union, national, sectoral and international decision making spaces. We are challenging entrenched discriminatory norms by supporting women to exercise their power and win their rights.

Together we are making a difference, and changing the lives of women workers around the world.

WHERE WE FOCUS

We have two strategic focus areas for women transport workers, determined by women union activists and leaders representing every part of the transport industry around the world:

Ending gender-based violence in transport workplaces - We're supporting transport unions to drive change across internal, government, employer and workplace levels through the first ever international law on violence at work, building women’s workplace advocacy, and exposing the impact of domestic violence on workplaces.

Ending the segregation of work based on gender - We're bringing together the experiences of women to make the causes and effects of gender segregation visible, which leave women excluded from some of the best jobs in the industry, and forced into the lowest paid and most insecure work. Women transport workers and potential transport workers deserve a gender-equal new normal. #ThisIsOurWorldToo

ON THE GROUND
On the ground
The latest news on the issues affecting us all, and the actions we’re taking to improve our workers' lives and futures.
We're driving change
TRANSPORT CONNECTS US
Explore Resources
OUR PEOPLE

We believe that the best way to achieve gender equality in the transport industry is to increase safe spaces for women, building women’s workplace and union activism and leadership around the things that matter most to women transport workers. We work with women leaders at all levels, with male allies, and through feminist union and community alliances nationally and internationally.

Contact us 

WOMEN'S OFFICER

Jodi Evans

 

DEPUTY WOMEN'S OFFICER

Claire Clarke

------------
SECTION COMMITTEE

Diana Holland

UNITE
,
Great Britain
Chair

Mich-Elle Myers

MUA
,
Australia
Vice Chair

Meryem Halouani

UMT
,
Morocco
Vice Chair

Jennifer Murray

UNIFOR
,
Canada
Vice Chair
Africa

Anika Manavi

SYNTRAPAL
,
Togo
Regional representative

Maryam Jummai Bello Yassin

NURTW
,
Nigeria
Regional representative

Wendy Mwaonanji Kavolo

RWUM
,
Malawi
Regional representative
Arab World

Mariam Horchani

FNT
,
Tunisia
Regional representative
Asia/Pacific

Mich-Elle Myers

MUA
,
Australia
Regional representative

Pradita Ningrum

SPKA
,
Indonesia
Regional representative

Enktugs Bat-Erdene

FMRWU
,
Mongolia
Regional representative

Sheela Naikwade

MSTKS
,
India
Regional representative
Europe

Patricia Cumplido

UGT
,
Spain
Regional representative

Astrid Konig

Kommunal
,
Sweden
Regional representative

Diana Holland

UNITE
,
Great Britain
Regional representative

Maya Schwiegershausen-Güth

Ver.di
,
Germany
Regional representative

Madlen Yordanova

FTTUB
,
Bulgaria
Regional representative
Latin America/Caribbean

Karina Moyano

FNTCOTAC
,
Argentina
Regional representative

Vacant

Regional representative

Vacant

Regional representative
North America

Julie Frietchen

IAM
,
United States of America
Regional representative

Joy Thomson

CMSG
,
Canada
Regional Representatives

Jennifer Murray

CMSG
,
Canada
Regional representative
Section representatives

Daniela Modonesi

FILT-CGIL
,
Italy
Civil Aviation

Jessica Isbister

ILWU
,
Canada
Dockers

Sylvie Roux

CFDT
,
France
Fisheries

Simi Lalsingh

NFIR
,
India
Railway Workers

Vivian Acosta

SNTT
,
Colombia
Road Transport

Lena Dyring

NSU
,
Norway
Seafarers

Praveena Singh

AIRF
,
India
Tourism Services

Vacant

Inland Navigation
Executive Board women regional representatives

Juliana Mpanduji

COTWU (T)
,
Tanzania
Africa

Meryem Halouani

UMT
,
Morocco
Arab World

Mary Liew

SMOU
,
Singapore
Asia/Pacific

Janaina Fernandes

FNTF
,
Brazil
Latin America/Caribbean

Terri Mast

ILWU
,
United States of America
North America
Young women transport workers’ representative

Jasmin Labarda

AMOSUP
,
Philippines
WOMEN MEMBERS OF THE ITF EXECUTIVE BOARD

Christine Behle

Ver.di
,
Germany

Dorotea Zec

SPH-SUC
,
Croatia

Ekaterina Yordanova

FTTUB
,
Bulgaria

Lana Payne

UNIFOR
,
Canada

Sharon Graham

UNITE
,
Great Britain