Gender and GIS: Mapping the Links between Spatial Exclusion, Transport Access, and the Millennium Development Goals in Lesotho, Ethiopia, and Ghana

Abstract

Spatial exclusion, and its gender dimensions, is an important component of social marginalization and vulnerability. Transport infrastructure and services play a critical role in supporting mobility and access to basic services vital to achieving poverty reduction, gender equality, and sustainable development objectives. This paper explores how Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology can support integrated evaluations of the gender dimensions of transport using an innovative combination of community participatory mapping, new gender-disaggregated household-level Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), and transport sector GIS data. The pilot study focuses on three countries, Lesotho, Ethiopia, and Ghana, and reveals new opportunities for cross-scale evaluation.