Women's access to urban public transport: Toward addressing policy constraints in combating sexual harassment

Women's physical harassment in public transport (PT) and public spaces is a pervasive and pressing issue across the globe. In developing countries, women's easy access to public transport and harassment-free travel in urban areas have been hindered by a combination of factors. These include gender stereotype behavior, sociocultural stigma, poor transport settings, and a male-dominated transport sector. As a result, women often face numerous acrimonious experiences in their everyday mobility. In light of these issues, this study seeks to analyze existing literature to gain a deeper understanding of how gender roles and women's positions in society shape travel behavior, as well as explore how gender-responsive policy interventions can effectively ensure an inclusive urban transport system for female commuters in developing countries. Through qualitative narrative analysis of previous research, the study aims to frame a conceptual relationship framework, which focuses on identifying micro to macro-level constraints and emphasizes the importance of gender-responsive policy interventions. The study expects that this framework will provide insight into how gender-responsive transport policies and women's participation in the transport sector can address constraints in transit environments. Furthermore, this study will assist in initiating measures to correct the gender-blind approach and provide a solid basis for policy advice in the arena of public transport and gender.