Research and Reports

Women in Rail: Industry Survey

Women in Rail founder Adeline Ginn contends that Britain’s industry “is facing a very real problem – a deficit of talent and diversity of skills – which threatens its future growth.” Just 16.4% of the rail industry was made up of women in 2015, according to WiR - and the figure is much lower for senior posts: just 1.3%. “For most women and young girls,” says Ginn, “rail is unfortunately not the first exciting, creative and rapidly growing industry that springs to mind when choosing a career.” Arguing that increasing the numbers of women in rail is “less a gender numbers game and more to do with the sector’s competitive edge,” the paper outlines a range of possible actions including tackling perceptions and changing education policy, moving towards flexible working, and positive action.