A Profile Of Women In Transportation

In recent years, women have comprised an average of roughly 40 percent of the new transportation graduate students, both master's and Ph.D. candidates. Berkeley ITS profiles several of its recent graduates.

1 minute read

October 2, 2005, 11:00 AM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen


"To get a better understanding of some of the issues affecting women in academia in transportation, roughly a dozen recent alumnae who received their doctorates between 1992 and 2005 were contacted and asked to respond to what they like and don’t like about working in academia, what is most rewarding and most frustrating, what trends they are seeing in terms of the numbers of women studying transportation, and their advice to younger women considering the field. Nine of them responded by press time.

The group’s transportation interests and expertise encompass a wide range: vehicle routing and scheduling in freight transportation, pedestrian access, energy use and air quality, transportation finance, policy and planning, and modeling complex logistics problemsâ€"to name a few. And although studies show that women in engineering fields traditionally have a harder time attaining top-level appointments and tend to be paid slightly less than their male counterparts, most of these respondents are optimistic about the future."

Monday, October 3, 2005 in Institute of Transportation Studies Berkeley Online Magazine

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

September 16, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

Passengers board an Amtrak train under a cloudy sky.

Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement

The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.

September 18, 2026 - Mass Transit

The Gross Reservoir, a large body of water surrounded by trees and mountains.

Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion

Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.

September 18, 2026 - Inside Climate News

A rendering of the planned bridge over a large river. The bridge has two main support beams that form diamond shaped arches over the bridge.

Alabama scores up to $2.5 billion federal loan for largest infrastructure project in state’s history

The Mobile River Bridge and Bayway Project aims to ease congestion at Alabama’s worst bottleneck.

September 20 - NBC 15

Public land in Idaho. Most of the photo is a green field, with mountains and a forest in the distance.

Trump is considering data centers on 6 states' public land — some state officials say they had no idea

If the administration approves the proposed projects, data center and data center-related developments will cover 17,600 acres of public land.

September 20 - The Washington Sun

Two construction workers on a wind turbine, with two more in the background against a pink sky.

Despite court ruling, Trump is keeping nearly all wind projects in the US on hold

At least 110 wind energy projects have not heard from the government since a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration's freeze on wind turbine clearances was likely illegal.

September 20 - Heatmap