Gendered Narratives of Sustainable Transport Amongst Young Adults

On the basis of data from ten semi-structured interviews and selected secondary data from surveys conducted by the Office for National Statistics in Great Britain, this paper explores how young men and women articulate attitudes and experiences related to sustainable transport, using gender as an analytical lens. The study is exploratory and qualitative. Both traffic safety and personal safety appear to have a much more limiting influence on women’s travel mode choices than on men’s. Perceptions of safety, comfort, distance, convenience and accessibility are defined and shaped by the surrounding urban environment and transport infrastructure, and emerge as important considerations in the narratives of the study participants. The use of the car by men and women is somewhat linked to barriers to sustainable transport, such as infrequent and unreliable public transport, and, in the case of women, safety concerns. Concern for the environment is largely similar across male and female participants.