Transport female workers: Barriers and conditions to their participation in a masculinized sector.

VERÓNICA PÉREZ; MARÍA CANDELA HERNÁNDEZ

Congreso; Mobilities In Transition: Circulation, Appropriation, Globalization; 2021

The following research was conducted within a sociocultural context of increasing permeabilityof Argentine institutions to the introduction of the gender perspective, as a direct result of thestruggles of the feminist movement. These favorable conditions to the opening up of historicallymasculinized sectors (Collins, 2011), leads to digging into one of those that still presents highbarriers to women's participation: mass public ground transport in the Buenos Airesmetropolitan area. The paper focuses on the distribution of inter- and intra-sector workers andon accessibility: cultural, political and institutional barriers that exclude women from this activity.The methodology used combines quantitative (statistical analysis of secondary data) andqualitative methods (interviews with transport female workers and public decision makers).During 2020, a systematic request for access to information (Law 27.275) was made to allcompanies and public entities affected by the sector. The main variables analyzed by genderwere: number of workers by mode and sector, occupational category, time career, and age. Theinformation collected includes different modes of public transport: buses, trains, subways andcommercial aviation.At the same time, semi-structured biographical interviews were conducted with female workersin the sector to capture assessments and representations about their own experiences atdifferent moments in their careers. The main topics explored were the gender-based workingrelationship, the social demands on their performances, the compatibility between paid workand care roles, and their experiences in fighting for their rights.The final characterization shows a highly masculinized sector where vertical and horizontalsegregation (Aguado Bloise and Ballesteros Doncel, 2018) relegates women to lower paid jobsbut also less qualification and hierarchical positions. These conditions are shaped by culturalbarriers, a result of long-term gender stereotypes and an institutional political framework thatimpedes their participation.