Highlights
Read this chapter to:
- Understand how rural and peri-urban road investments can promote gender equality in mobility, access to services, and economic participation.
- Learn how poor road infrastructure and limited transport options disproportionately affect women’s safety, time, and opportunities.
- Explore practical interventions—such as school and healthcare transport subsidies, pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, and safe roadside facilities—to address gender-based mobility barriers.
- Discover strategies for increasing women’s employment and leadership in the road sector through procurement, skills training, and supportive workplace policies.
- Examine how rural transport programs can empower women entrepreneurs by improving access to finance, markets, and business development services.
Overview:
World Bank rural and peri-urban road projects typically focus on enhancing connectivity and accessibility, reducing transport costs, travel time, and improving road safety.
They aim to support economic development by facilitating the movement of goods and people, particularly in rural and underserved regions, and strengthening agricultural and tourism sectors. These projects also seek to build institutional capacity for road and bridge asset management, improve the climate resilience of road infrastructure, and ensure sustainable and durable transport networks. The rural and peri-urban road projects primarily focus on road infrastructure, including construction, rehabilitation, and maintenance. Transport fleets and their operations are typically addressed in urban transport projects, which are discussed in the next chapter.
Mobility
In rural and peri-urban road operations, disparities in mobility between men and women are closely linked to issues related to poor road conditions that make it difficult for women to access public transportation, especially in rural areas where transportation options are already scarce.
This exacerbates gender disparities, as women often must rely on informal transport, which may not be accessible or affordable. Poor roads can increase travel time and the risk of accidents, making women more vulnerable to violence, harassment, and exploitation, especially when traveling alone or during off-peak hours. Availability, affordability, safety, accessibility, and social and cultural acceptability of road infrastructure and transport services restrict women’s movements and limit their access to employment, markets, and social services.
🚌 Availability
Availability is a critical issue, as transport infrastructure (roads) and services (such as public transportation) in rural and peri-urban areas are often infrequent, irregular, or absent. The scarcity of reliable public transportation and poor road conditions, especially the lack of all-weather roads that remain passable during wet and dry seasons, significantly contribute to the gap in human development indicators between women and men. Inadequate road infrastructure frequently fails to meet women’s needs for safe and accessible routes, resulting in longer travel times, higher costs, and increased physical and economic burdens, which hinders their mobility and participation in community and economic activities. Furthermore, existing transport services, when available, may not align with women’s schedules, which are shaped by household responsibilities such as childcare or agricultural work.
This scarcity of reliable and regular transport options exacerbates women’s isolation. It limits their ability to travel for work, education, or personal needs, with many services catering primarily to male-dominated sectors like agriculture or trade, without considering women’s specific needs. Incorporating women's needs into government plans for prioritizing roads for rehabilitation and construction is essential to ensure women’s equitable access to vital services. Women, often primary caregivers and workers, rely heavily on accessible roads that lead to jobs, health facilities, and educational institutions. By prioritizing road infrastructure that connects women to these essential resources, governments can foster greater economic participation, improve health outcomes, and increase educational opportunities for women. A thoughtful approach to road planning, one that considers the unique needs of women, will ultimately strengthen communities, promote gender equality, and enhance overall societal well-being. Table 3.1 highlights some of the key interventions to address these constraints and their corresponding indicators.
INTERVENTIONS | OUTPUT INDICATORS |
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Construction/rehabilitation of rural and peri-urban roads: Build roads that connect women residing in rural and peri-urban areas to essential services, improving their access to health care, education, and employment and markets. These roads should incorporate accessible infrastructure (for example, lighting, higher visibility with few concrete walls, and other elements, as devised through participatory feedback from communities). |
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OUTCOME INDICATORS |
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💰 Affordability
Affordability of transport remains a significant barrier for women, who often earn less than men and face limited financial resources. These constraints can restrict their ability to regularly access transport services, both for themselves and for their dependents. The lack of affordable and accessible transport limits women’s participation in the workforce and discourages families from sending children to school or seeking essential services such as healthcare—ultimately undermining human capital development for both current and future generations. As a result, many women rely on walking or low-cost alternatives that are often time-consuming and physically demanding, especially for those balancing household and caregiving responsibilities. In many households, boys are prioritized for schooling, while girls remain at home due to financial hardship, safety concerns—including transport-related risks—and entrenched social and cultural norms. Table 3.2 outlines key interventions to address these barriers and their associated indicators, while Box 3.1 provides a case study from Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.
INTERVENTIONS | OUTPUT INDICATORS |
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School transport subsidies: Provide targeted transport subsidies for girls (and boys) from low-income communities to ensure their enrollment and retention in schools. |
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Healthcare transport subsidies: Provide targeted transport subsidies to women from low-income communities for routine and critical health care visits. |
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Reduced transport fares in low-income areas or location specific reduced fare system for underserved areas: Introduce lower public transport fares for women (and their dependents) in low-income areas to improve their access to jobs, education, and health services. |
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OUTCOME INDICATORS |
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🧩 The Challenge
In Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province and the Newly Merged Districts, decent roads can mean the difference between going to school or staying home, between seeing a
🧩 The Challenge
In Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province and the Newly Merged Districts, decent roads can mean the difference between going to school or staying home, between seeing a healthcare provider or getting sicker, between selling wheat or vegetables for a healthy profit at market or selling too cheaply to neighbors.
Bad roads and long commutes keep girls out of school. In the Newly Merged Districts, approximately 70% of girls do not go to school, compared to 30% of boys. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, these numbers are slightly better; 49% of girls are out of school, while only 21% of boys are. Girls’ dropout rates are particularly high, especially at transition points such as the end of primary school and secondary school. These dropout rates are linked to a lack of safe, affordable, and reliable ways to get to school, which disproportionately affects girls.
🛠️ The Intervention
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Rural Accessibility Project (P177069), which runs from 2022-2027, provides subsidized transport to girls from marginalized rural communities. The project's innovative ideas are designed to protect students and alleviate parental concerns. Transport providers undergo a comprehensive selection process, including background and medical screenings, verification of vehicle permits and certifications, community reputation assessment, adherence to a strict code of conduct, and completing sensitization training on appropriate awareness and behavior towards women. Chaperones, usually female teachers, accompany the girls to school. This focus on safer and affordable transport services for girls is helping lower barriers to education while respecting local cultural norms.
🏗️ Implementation Challenges and Successes
The project is on course to provide safe transport for 30,000 girls cumulatively over the course of the project, with a specific target of bringing 2,400 out-of-school girls back into the education system. Since commencement, the program has been positively received by parents and local stakeholders alike, with several schools reporting the re-enrolment of students that had initially dropped out to avail the subsidy. Safeguards to protect against violence towards women have also been integrated throughout the project, including fostering community engagement by empowering Parent-Teacher Councils (PTCs) to make key decisions, presence of GM focal points in schools, and a project-hired GBV firm to provide survivor support in case of any incident.
💡 Lessons Learned
Key lessons that similar projects can draw from this intervention include:
- Addressing Transportation Barriers: Safe and reliable transportation is crucial for improving girls' access to education; subsidizing transport costs lowers the financial barriers that disproportionately affect girls due to safety, distance, and transport-related factors, especially in rural areas.
- Innovative Safety Measures: Sensitization training, rigorous screening criteria, code of conduct, and the presence of chaperones protect girls’ safety during their commutes.
- Community Engagement: Empowering local communities (e.g., through Parent-Teacher Councils) to support in implementing the intervention produces a supportive environment for girls' education.
- Government Support: Strong backing from local government is vital for the project's sustainability and paves the way for its potential expansion.
- Data-Driven Assessments: Impact evaluations will provide useful insight into the success of the project and become data for future transport initiatives that sensitive to women.
📌 Conclusion
This project demonstrates the transformative potential of addressing disparities between women and men in education through infrastructure development. By tailoring transport services to local needs and norms, such projects serve as a model for improving girls’ access to education in conservative and rural settings.
Note: Muhammad Bilal Paracha (Transport Specialist, World Bank) and Sara Zafar Cheema (Consultant, World Bank) reviewed and cleared this case study.
🧑🦯 Accessibility
Physical accessibility is a significant challenge for women in rural and peri-urban areas, particularly for those with limited mobility, the elderly, pregnant women, or those traveling with young children. Poor road access in rural areas often confines women to working close to their homes, such as on farms, unlike their male counterparts. Inadequate infrastructure and poorly maintained roads make it difficult for women to access transport services, especially in remote areas where distances between villages and transport hubs are long. Additionally, cultural constraints in many countries hinder women from cycling, despite it being a common mode of transport in rural and peri-urban areas. Women often face barriers such as a lack of cycling skills, the inability to afford a bike, or fear of cycling in traffic due to safety concerns. Table 3.3 highlights some of the interventions and their associated indicators.
INTERVENTIONS | OUTPUT INDICATORS |
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Pedestrian infrastructure: Improve pedestrian infrastructure around rural and peri-urban roads:
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Cycling Infrastructure: Improve cycling infrastructure around rural and peri-urban roads:
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OUTCOME INDICATORS |
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🚨 Safety and Personal Security
Personal security and safety concerns are another significant barrier to women’s mobility in rural and peri-urban areas. Transport systems in these regions are often poorly monitored, with inadequate lighting, security, and female-friendly infrastructure, such as safe waiting areas or designated spaces for women. This lack of personal security creates a climate of fear where women worry that they are at a higher risk of harassment, violence, and exploitation, particularly in isolated or poorly connected areas.
In addition to personal security, road safety also poses a disproportionate challenge to women. Poor road conditions, such as potholes, uneven surfaces, and a lack of proper signage make travel hazardous for all users, but women (and children) are particularly vulnerable, as they are more likely to walk because of limited access to personal vehicles. These poor conditions increase the risk of accidents. Inadequate pedestrian facilities, such as sidewalks, crossings, and footpaths, force women to share the road with motor vehicles, putting them at greater risk. This problem is even more pronounced in rural areas, where infrastructure is often limited. Table 3.4 highlights some of the interventions and the associated interventions that address these barriers.
INTERVENTIONS | OUTPUT INDICATORS |
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Safe infrastructure: install street lighting, closed circuit television (CCTV), well-lit rest stops, sanitation infrastructure, and emergency call points to enhance safety. |
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Road safety education and awareness: Develop and implement road safety education and awareness programs that address both men’s and women’s perspectives. Child-friendly road safety measures: Implement child-specific road safety features, such as speed limits around schools, school-zone road signs, and pedestrian crossings that are easily visible to both children and drivers. |
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OUTCOME INDICATORS |
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Employment
It is crucial to recognize that rural and peri-urban projects involve two distinct types of employers: road contractors (private sector), who execute construction work through project bids, and the road agency or any other state entity responsible for setting the bidding terms1 and for oversight functions.
This distinction is critical when designing interventions, as the applicability of measures varies. For example, facilities that cater to the needs of women, such as providing changing rooms and appropriate personal protective equipment, are more relevant to private contractors managing on-site personnel. Conversely, road agencies focus more on policy, monitoring, and ensuring compliance with safety and labor standards. Understanding these differences is essential when deciding on appropriate interventions ensuring they are tailored to the relevant type of employer.
🤝 Outreach and Recruitment
Women face significant barriers to entry in road works due to societal expectations and a lack of targeted recruitment efforts, resulting in a predominantly male workforce. The absence of training and certification programs for technical jobs restricts women’s ability to gain the skills needed to compete effectively for specialized jobs such as equipment operator or in project management. Personal security concerns, such as risks of harassment or violence, particularly in remote rural construction sites, discourage women from pursuing careers in this sector. Table 3.5 outlines key activities that road companies can undertake to enhance women’s recruitment, as well as measures that road authorities can implement through public procurement to promote women in the sector. Box 3.2 presents a case study from North Macedonia.
INTERVENTIONS | OUTPUT INDICATORS |
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| Procurement measures: Reserve a minimum portion or number of contracted labor opportunities for women in road work roles in project bidding documents; specify job categories to be awarded to women with a focus on mid- and high-skilled technical jobs where women tend to be the most underrepresented and require bidders to demonstrate commitment to employing women and creating supportive workplace through an action plan. |
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| Outreach campaigns: Raise awareness of road sector opportunities for women through local radio, short message service (SMS) blasts, and women-focused job fairs in rural and peri-urban areas, and collaborate with community groups, vocational centers, and NGOs to promote road careers and support recruitment. |
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| Technical certification and apprenticeship programs: Offer technical certification programs for women in mid-skilled roles such as construction, road maintenance, machinery operation, and project management, complemented by structured apprenticeships for practical experience. Provide scholarships or subsidies to support women from rural and peri-urban areas in accessing these opportunities. |
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| Internship programs: Provide paid internships to build a pipeline of women in high-skilled technical occupations in road contractor workforce and in road agencies (for example, engineers, road safety specialists, geodesists, and so on). |
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Community-based Road maintenance programs: Promote women’s employment in local road maintenance contracts. |
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OUTCOME INDICATORS |
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🧩 The Challenge
Public procurement accounts for around 12% of GDP1 in many economies. Partly because of the money involved and the scale of many projects, procurement can be
🧩 The Challenge
Public procurement accounts for around 12% of GDP1 in many economies. Partly because of the money involved and the scale of many projects, procurement can be a powerful tool to promote female entrepreneurship, improve working conditions for women, and get them jobs in traditionally male-dominated industries like transport. Transport projects can integrate women into employment and supply chains, as evidenced by several World Bank-supported initiatives.
🛠️ The Intervention
The Roma, Europe’s largest ethnic minority, faces significant challenges, including limited access to transportation and jobs, along with other minority ethnicities in the country. Recognizing this, the World Bank supported the North Macedonia Local Roads Connectivity Project (P170267) (2019–2026), which promotes employment for Roma men and women in public works.
During the preparation, the project began with a detailed assessment of the needs of Roma women, Roma men, and non-Roma women regarding road infrastructure, public transport, and employment in transport.2 Findings revealed that poor infrastructure disproportionately impacts Roma communities and that entrenched social norms, combined with welfare disincentives, keep Roma women away from jobs on road works.
In response to these challenges, the project’s bidding documents were revised to include a requirement for road construction companies to hire women (both Roma and non-Roma) as well as Roma men. While the targets were not ambitious, they were designed to raise awareness and encourage the private sector to engage with and employ ethnic minorities.
Between 2021 and 2024, the project hired 271 Roma men for public works projects, but it faced some challenges in providing similar opportunities for Roma women, with only 17 women being recruited. Social norms and expectations presented a significant barrier; construction jobs are traditionally considered to be for men only. Another barrier was the country’s social welfare policy, which discourages disadvantaged groups from seeking short-term employment because of the potential loss of their government stipends.
Besides the efforts to include women and ethnic minorities in road works, the project has recently launched a Call for Proposals to provide grants to municipalities for implementing small community-driven infrastructure projects. Community participation including those of ethnic minorities will be a required condition for receiving the grants. The grant will fund activities such as the improvement of bus stops, children’s playgrounds, and urban equipment for small squares in villages and cities.
💡 Lessons Learned
The project highlighted the importance of aligning public procurement changes with broader social policies and cultural norms. It also demonstrated that while there is some support for using procurement to promote women and minority ethnicities, practical tools and guidance remain scarce. There is a need to record and share successful approaches for incorporating social considerations into procurement processes. Lastly, the project showed the importance of flexibility in adapting strategies to overcome challenges identified during implementation.
Note: Maja Lazarevska, Director of the Project Implementation Unit, reviewed and cleared this case study.
1 Erica Bosio and Simeon Djankov. 2020. “How large is public procurement?” World Bank Blog: https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/developmenttalk/how-large-public-procurement.
2 Kurshitashvili, N., Hadzi-Vasileva, Kristina., Bekim, I., Vukanovic, S., 2020. Assessment of Barriers and Opportunities Using Gender and Roma Lens in North Macedonia: Case of Transport. World Bank.
📝 HR Policies and Practices
One of the main challenges related to company human resources (HR) policies and practices in rural and peri-urban transport is the limited implementation of gender-sensitive measures that ensure safety for female workers. Despite the growing presence of women in transport-related roles, many road companies still lack sexual harassment policies and complaint mechanisms that are accessible and well-communicated to all employees. Additionally, workplace infrastructure often fails to meet the basic safety needs of women, such as separate restrooms, changing areas, and adequate lighting, particularly in remote or male-dominated work sites. Personal protective equipment (PPE) is not always available in appropriate sizes or designs for women, which can hinder their comfort and safety on the job. These gaps in human resource practices contribute to lower job satisfaction, reduced retention, and underrepresentation of women at all levels within the rural and peri-urban transport sector. Table 3.6 outlines some policies and practices that road companies can undertake, as well as the policies that road agencies implement through public procurement. Box 3.3 and 3.4 present case studies from Samoa and Tonga, and Uganda, respectively.
🧩 The Challenge
Women in Samoa hold under 30% of private and only 2% of commercial driver’s licenses. In Tonga, just 15% of commercial licenses are held by women. These
🧩 The Challenge
Women in Samoa hold under 30% of private and only 2% of commercial driver’s licenses. In Tonga, just 15% of commercial licenses are held by women. These low numbers stop women from getting higher-paying jobs driving buses, taxis, or heavy vehicles. Cultural norms, financial constraints, and logistical challenges exacerbate these barriers, particularly in male-dominated transport industries. Addressing these challenges is a critical step in promoting gender equality and women’s economic empowerment.
🛠️ The Intervention
To address these barriers, two World Bank-supported projects—the Samoa Climate Resilient Transport Project (P165782) and the Tonga Climate Resilient Transport Project II (P176208)—are helping women get driver’s licenses in Samoa and Tonga. The projects are informed by surveys in each country which revealed that cultural attitudes, affordability, and limited access to training are the key obstacles facing women drivers. To tackle these issues, driver education and safety programs were specifically designed for women and, in Samoa, the fees for such classes and the licensing fees were waived. In Tonga, the costs were subsidized. National media campaigns aimed to normalize the idea of women behind the wheel were conducted.
Cultural norms in Samoa and Tonga traditionally discouraged women from applying for licenses, especially for commercial vehicles, but outreach campaigns helped shift perceptions. Fee waivers in Samoa and subsidized costs in Tonga made participation more affordable, while institutional support meant the driving program would continue. By overcoming cultural, financial, and institutional barriers, these projects not only empowered women economically but also promoted resilient transport systems.
By the end of the pilot phase, over 120 Samoan women earned private driving licenses, narrowing the gender gap. In Tonga, 15 women completed a three-week commercial driver training program and learned to operate heavy vehicles like loaders and forklifts. Plans are underway to repeat this program in the coming year.
💡 Lessons Learned
- Institutional Support: Licensing training was supported by recognized institutions, like Samoa’s Land Transport Authority and, in Tonga, a collaboration with a training and licensing outfit from New Zealand. These organizations gave the program credibility.
- Logistical Challenges: Access to vehicles for practice is still a constraint. Future projects could explore partnerships with transport providers to address this gap.
- Scalability: These programs’ success in Samoa and Tonga offers a replicable model for other Pacific Island nations.
Note: This case study was based on a desk review of project documents and an interview with Sean Michaels (Senior Infrastructure Specialist, World Bank) and documents provided by Satoshi Ogita (Senior Transport Specialist, World Bank).
🧩 The Challenge
Uganda is currently home to Africa's largest refugee population. Most refugees live in the underdeveloped West Nile region, an area with high poverty and without adequate
🧩 The Challenge
Uganda is currently home to Africa's largest refugee population. Most refugees live in the underdeveloped West Nile region, an area with high poverty and without adequate infrastructure. Eighty two percent of refugees are women and children, and many girls must manage early marriages, pregnancies, heavy domestic work, and limited schooling. Uganda uses economic policy to help refugees and host communities, but because of remote, rural conditions, few jobs, and limited access to market, both communities are struggling.
🛠️ The Intervention
The World Bank-supported Uganda: Roads and Bridges in the Refugee Hosting Districts/Koboko-Yumbe-Moyo Road Corridor Project (P171339), which runs from 2021–2026, is upgrading 105 kilometers of road to link refugees and host communities to markets and jobs.
The project addresses barriers to employment and mobility for women, particularly in refugee settings.
Key activities include:
- Employment: The project aims to increase job opportunities for women in road construction and maintenance by incorporating bidding documents that encourage their participation. It seeks to raise the proportion of women workers in both construction and administrative roles to 30%.
- Infrastructure: The project includes roadside vending and market areas, bus bays, lighting, and road safety features. These improvements are based on consultations with local women.
- Capacity Building: The project strengthens the Uganda National Roads Authority’s ability to analyze women’s needs and design plans to address them.
- Data Management: The country's Road Accident Database will be sorted by male/female and refugee/host community status to better inform policies.
🏗️ Implementation Challenges and Successes
Community consultations give local women a voice in the project, address employment barriers, and collect feedback on women’s workforce participation. The project dovetails with other World Bank operations to support women’s cooperatives and improve market access.
The project faced some early delays, and some jobs, particularly those requiring advanced skills, are difficult to fill with female candidates. Nevertheless, the project already employed up to 100 women in road works with the support of the training which is addressing these skills gaps.
💡 Lessons Learned
Key lessons learned from this project include:
- Community Engagement: Consultations with women from local communities gathered useful insights and feedback, which was used to inform infrastructure design. These consultations underscored the importance of making sure women’s economic empowerment strategies meet local needs, from safety measures to economic infrastructure.
- Existing Programs: Collaborating with planners and managers from other projects addressing women’s employment built on established resources and networks.
- Baseline: The importance of relevant data and a thorough baseline study cannot be overstated. Without baseline data, it is difficult to establish realistic targets.
- Monitoring and Evaluation: Consistent monitoring of key success metrics such as women’s workforce participation and safety compliance with the help of a dedicated M&E consultant, is crucial for assessing progress.
These lessons offer insights for future infrastructure projects, especially in places with unique dynamics such as refugee-hosting areas.
Note: The case study was prepared based on a desk review of project documents and an interview with Ivan Emmanuel Mwondha, World Bank Task Team Leader for the Uganda: Roads and Bridges in the Refugee Hosting Districts/Koboko-Yumbe-Moyo Road Corridor Project.
🪜 Career Progression
Women in the government agencies involved in rural roads face significant challenges in advancing their careers. In road agencies often characterized by informal management systems, women, even if technically qualified, encounter limited opportunities for growth. To address these barriers, targeted interventions are essential. These include, amongst others, implementing training programs, establishing mentorship initiatives, and promoting awareness of unconscious biases in hiring and promotion to ensure that hiring is done solely based on meritocracy. Table 3.7 highlights some activities that road agencies can implement related to women’s career progression and retention, and the associated indicators.
INTERVENTIONS | OUTPUT INDICATORS |
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A performance review system: Develop a performance review system for staff with a standardized framework linking performance reviews to workforce competencies, skills development, and promotions. A range of actions can achieve this objective, such as: establishing a promotion committee comprised of both women and men, adopting a blind selection process where candidates’ resumes do not include personal details, and testing participants without revealing their personal details so as to eliminate potential conscious or unconscious gender bias in promotion decisions.
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Certification and technical training: Provide specialized education and skill-building programs to women and men aimed at equipping them with the knowledge and expertise needed to perform specific tasks related to road construction, maintenance, and management.
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| Women’s mentorship program: Implement a mentorship program pairing women with senior female and male professionals, focusing on various issues such as career development skills and addressing specific workplace challenges. |
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| Women’s networking program: Create a forum for women within the road sector to connect, share experiences, and seek support. |
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OUTCOME INDICATORS |
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🌟 Leadership
Women also face significant challenges in attaining managerial and leadership positions within the roads sector. It is important to note that the interventions, such as promoting women to managerial and leadership positions, are more relevant to road agencies (state entities) than to private road contractors bound by short operating timelines, who have a predominantly low-to-mid-level workforce. Road agencies tend to have fairly static organizational structures and stable career pathways to leadership and decision-making jobs. In contrast, road contractors typically operate for shorter durations, ranging from six months to a few years, focusing on project execution rather than long-term employee development. For private contractors, interventions may need to prioritize recruitment, skill-building, and workplace policies and practices, rather than investing in leadership development. Table 3.8 presents some of the activities and the corresponding indicators to promote women’s leadership in the road sector.
INTERVENTIONS | OUTPUT INDICATORS |
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| Women’s Leadership program: Establish a targeted leadership training program for women in the road transport sector, focusing on strategic planning, financial management, and team leadership. |
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| Annual review process: Implement an annual review to track progress in women’s representation in managerial and senior roles, using specific metrics to measure effectiveness and adjust initiatives as needed. |
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OUTCOME INDICATORS |
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Entrepreneurship
Women entrepreneurs in the road sector face several critical challenges in starting and operating their businesses.
Limited access to business skills training, technical knowledge, and advisory services specific to transport and infrastructure-related sectors hinders their ability to compete effectively. Social norms and unpaid domestic responsibilities further restrict their time and mobility, making it difficult to pursue entrepreneurial activities in road construction and maintenance. Financial barriers, such as lack of access to credit or collateral—especially for bidding on road sector procurement contracts—also limit their ability to scale operations. Additionally, poor road connectivity and lack of safe transport reduce their market access, particularly in rural areas where roadside marketplaces and mobility infrastructure are underdeveloped. Addressing these challenges through targeted skills training, financial inclusion strategies, and improved infrastructure is essential to unlocking women’s potential in the road sector.
💼 Business Skills Training and Advisory Services
While women are actively engaged in sectors critical to rural economies—such as agriculture and construction—their participation is often concentrated in low-paid or informal roles. This is largely due to limited access to skills development, technical training, and opportunities for income diversification. Social norms that confine women to traditional roles, along with the burden of unpaid domestic responsibilities, further limit their time and ability to pursue entrepreneurial or income-generating activities. Targeted business skills training and advisory services are essential to address these barriers.
Such interventions can empower women with the knowledge and tools needed to start and manage businesses, improve productivity, and transition into higher-value roles. By equipping women with relevant skills, confidence, and support networks, these programs can enhance their economic agency and reduce vulnerability. Moreover, transport projects have a unique opportunity to support women entrepreneurs—not only within the transport sector but also across related sectors—by improving access to markets through rehabilitated roadside marketplaces and enhanced mobility infrastructure. Table 3.9 outlines some interventions designed to support women entrepreneurs, along with the results indicators.
INTERVENTIONS | OUTPUT INDICATORS |
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| Provide business skills training with personalized advisory services for women involved in rural road construction and related livelihoods. Consider offering training on essential skills such as financial management, project planning, marketing, and procurement, and tailored business guidance from experienced business advisors. |
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OUTCOME INDICATORS |
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🏦 Access to Finance
Limited access to financial services—such as credit, savings, and insurance—poses a major barrier to women’s economic empowerment. Without adequate financial support, women struggle to start or scale businesses, invest in their skills, or respond to new market opportunities. Discriminatory practices in land ownership and inheritance rights further hinder their ability to secure collateral for loans, particularly in agriculture or other capital-intensive sectors.
Women-owned businesses in the road sector are especially disadvantaged in accessing financial resources needed to compete in procurement processes or expand operations. Addressing these gaps requires targeted financial inclusion strategies, including tailored loan products, savings schemes, and financial literacy programs designed with women’s specific needs in mind. Table 3.10 outlines a set of interventions aimed at addressing the barriers women entrepreneurs face in accessing finance within the road sector, along with corresponding results indicators.
INTERVENTIONS | OUTPUT INDICATORS |
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| Access to finance: Provide women entrepreneurs in road transport—particularly those in road construction, maintenance, and related services with tailored financing through joint access to finance programs developed by transport sector stakeholders and finance institutions. The program could offer loans with flexible repayment terms, risk guarantees, and business development support. It could also include a simplified application process and financial literacy workshops to enhance the applicants’ financial management and business skills. |
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OUTCOME INDICATORS |
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🔗 Market Access and Linkages
Even when women are economically active, they often face significant barriers to accessing markets—especially in rural areas with poor road connectivity and limited safe transport options. This is particularly challenging for women producing goods such as textiles, handicrafts, or food products, who often depend on intermediaries to reach customers. This dependency reduces their earnings and limits control over pricing and profits. Strengthening market linkages involves improving transportation infrastructure, ensuring safe and affordable mobility, and supporting women in establishing direct connections with buyers, cooperatives, or procurement platforms. Table 3.11 outlines some interventions designed to support women entrepreneurs with access to markets, along with associated indicators. Box 3.5 provides a case study from Azerbaijan that illustrates how targeted efforts can positively impact women’s economic participation in infrastructure-related sectors.
INTERVENTIONS | OUTPUT INDICATORS |
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Market access and linkages:
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Access to marketplaces:
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OUTCOME INDICATORS |
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🧩 The Challenge
Nearly half of Azerbaijan’s population lives in the countryside and works on farms. Agriculture, however, contributes only 7% to the country's GDP, because most farms
🧩 The Challenge
Nearly half of Azerbaijan’s population lives in the countryside and works on farms. Agriculture, however, contributes only 7% to the country's GDP, because most farms are small and do not have access to big markets. Bad roads and logistics challenges drive up transportation costs, limit access to markets, and inflate expenses for small family farms. Without modern transportation, processing and refrigeration food spoils quickly and farmers can be forced to sell cheaply. Women, who make up a significant portion of Azerbaijan’s farmers, often struggle with business resources and need training opportunities. Women’s jobs are concentrated in low-paying industries, and women often do not have the help they need to grow their businesses.
🛠️ The Intervention
The World Bank-supported Azerbaijan Regional Connectivity and Development Project (P174379) is designed to promote growth and development in Azerbaijan, with a particular emphasis on rural areas such as the Salyan and Bilasuvar districts. The project is rehabilitating 71.2 kilometers of road, enhancing access to markets and benefiting approximately 250,000 residents. Improved roads will also extend to neighboring regions like Jalilabad, Masalli, and Lankaran. In addition, the project will construct warehouses, cold storage units, and small markets while ensuring that both women and men can sell their products in the markets by earmarking spaces for them.
Importantly, the project aims to support small-scale roadside businesses, agricultural and agri-logistics producers by providing training and business advisory services to help them start and expand their activities. A key focus is ensuring that at least 50% of beneficiaries are women, including those from single-headed female households, who are often among the most vulnerable.
📊 Results
Women played an active role in designing logistics and market centers. These centers will include “community rooms,” providing accessible spaces for gatherings—an important feature in rural Azerbaijan, where such facilities are scarce.
Training and business advisory services in areas prioritized by the communities, such as modern production and service techniques, business development, and e-commerce, are underway. Over 300 people have received training, and approximately 70 individuals have benefited from business advice.
Women have been sharing innovative ideas, such as opening packaging centers, offering printing services, and selling tea, coffee, sweets, preserves and bakery products. Some are aiming to expand their businesses online.
💡 Lessons Learned
- Community mobilization and engagement: Getting early buy-in from local authorities and leaders was critical for the project implementation. The more the project team talked to community leaders about the project’s potential benefits, the more people trusted them.
- Community mobilization engaging both women and men: Hiring women community mobilizers proved essential in reaching rural women, especially in conservative areas where women might otherwise be reluctant to interact with men.
- Facilities: Involving community members early in the design process lead to better roadside facilities. Both men and women gave valuable input which influenced lighting, seating arrangements, and dedicated areas for women.
- Business training: A survey found that women in business were most concerned about time limitations, their own lack of confidence, and location-related obstacles. To address that, training sessions were tailored, some were shortened, and venues were safe and culturally appropriate.
- Local partners: Local partners with prior experience in community mobilization and engagement with women brought useful insights into cultural norms and helped navigate social dynamics.
📌 Conclusion
This case study underscores the importance of equality-driven infrastructure development as a way to promote inclusive growth. The Azerbaijan project is improving logistics and transportation while taking account of women’s needs and perspectives. This intervention underscores the importance of working with community members as early as possible and adapting to local needs, be they cultural or business related.
Note: Nijat Valiyev (Senior Transport Economist, World Bank) and Elnur Abbaszade (Social and Community Relations Specialist at the Project Implementation Unit) provided input into this case study.