Sexism in Snow-Clearing: Sweden’s Solution

Source: CapX

In many cities around the world, the approach to snow plowing is to start with major highways and streets near large employers, then smaller local streets, followed by sidewalks and bike paths. This appears logical and neutral, yet a study conducted in a small town in Sweden found otherwise. While local officials at a town meeting in Karlskoga, Sweden were trying to implement gender-equality initiatives, one official remarked that “at least snow-clearing was something those ‘gender people’ can keep their noses out of”. Following this, the gender equality initiative team began a study that revealed that the standard snow clearing practices disadvantage women. 

This is because male and female driving patterns were different, with men mainly driving for work commutes and women conducting a variety of trips for work, errands, and caregiving responsibilities for children and elder relatives. Women are the primary caregivers of children and aging relatives and do the majority of unpaid care work around the world. Many schools and daycare facilities require drop-offs before the typical 9-5 workday begins. Additionally, women walk and take public transit more, sometimes with children or bags in tow. This is especially the case for women and children in low-income, marginalized communities. Uncleared routes are especially difficult for children to navigate because of their smaller legs. Furthermore, women make up the majority of elderly and disabled people, who encounter additional mobility challenges and risk with uncleared sidewalks and intersections. Because of these differences, the snow clearing practices have health, safety, and labor cost implications for women. 

Sweden reversed their approach in 2011 based on the findings of their study by clearing walkways and bike paths first, especially near bus stops and primary schools, and then local roads followed by highways. This reduced the number of people admitted to emergency centers, particularly women, and lowered healthcare costs and lost productivity. Driving through a few inches of snow is safer than walking through it, especially while pushing something like a baby stroller. In Sweden, three times as many people were injured while walking in icy conditions than while driving. The winter is when 79% of pedestrian injuries occurred, and 69% were women. Women’s slip and fall injuries also tended to be more severe than men’s. The estimated cost of these falls was about $3.7 million per winter. There were no additional costs to municipalities for clearing pedestrian paths first, and injuries and hospital visits were greatly reduced, especially for women. 

While the original snow plowing plan did not have any malicious intent to harm women, decision makers should investigate their seemingly neutral plans for unintended disproportionate impacts. Caroline Criado-Perez, author of Invisible Women, writes “the men (and it would have been men) who originally devised the schedule knew how they travelled and designed around their needs. They didn’t set out to exclude women. They just didn’t think about them.” Data collection and analysis focused on gender can illuminate ways in which our transportation systems and cities are being designed around men. Additionally, having more women and people who travel by alternative modes in decision making roles can lead to better decisions for everyone and counter assumptions about what needs should be prioritized.