Armenia

Armenia Country Gender Assessment231. Another priority women voiced is ensuring that highways have safe and cleansanitation facilities. The lack of public toilets along roads was mentioned as a particularwomen’s concern, especially for women traveling with children. Opinions differed, however,about how best to develop roadside sanitation. Some thought that such facilities wouldhave to be fee-based or they would not be maintained. Others suggested that existingroadside petrol stations should be encouraged to have such toilets for the public as part oftheir business.232. Benefits of improved roads to women’s livelihoods. Improved roads (andespecially the creation of roadside infrastructure) can also provide women with jobsand income-generating activities. Women in all focus group discussions identifiedareas in which roadside infrastructure could be beneficial. They highlighted improvedopportunities to sell homegrown products and souvenirs, and to provide refreshments andaccommodations to travelers by opening bakeries and guesthouses along major routes.Such business ideas were generally connected to a desire to develop tourism, for whichthe construction of key roads, with signs advertising local goods and services, is crucial.Because women are well represented in the service sector, they could benefit greatlyfrom transport projects that are designed to enhance tourism in Armenia. Women alsoexpressed opinions about the kinds of responsible tourism that they would like to seeexpanded and are wary that roadside infrastructure could lead to the growth of businessesthat they consider undesirable such as fast food outlets and commercial sex work. Itis important to link transport projects—with components on roadside infrastructure,especially the North–South Road Corridor—to programs on women and entrepreneurship.233. Gender issues in urban and rural transport. While several respondents notedthat more women are driving private vehicles now than in the past, women still make upthe majority of public transport users. The distinct transport needs of women and menare based on their patterns of use. Men are more likely to make regular trips to and fromwork, and women more often make shorter trips with multiple stops (e.g., to shop, to takechildren to/from school, and/or to visit health clinics or family members). Women, both inthe capital and smaller cities, raised many common concerns about the current state oftransport in Armenia.234. In Yerevan, as in other locations, women reported using marshrutki (privatemicrobus services) and taxis much more than publicly owned transport. In fact, marshrutkicarry 85% of city passengers in Yerevan. 295 Women mentioned that marshrutki are oftenovercrowded and unsafe. In addition, such services are unregulated, minibus operatorsdo not accept “social and concessionary fares,” and because transfers are not used, “eachtrip has to be paid for separately, which limits mobility.” 296 Women outside of Yerevan didnot comment on the price of traveling on marshrutki but explained that they can generallyafford to use such minibuses and even taxis. When women cannot pay such costs theywalk, as public transport is not reliable.235. When asked more specifically why women outside of Yerevan did not use publictransport, they described several ways that the current system does not meet their needs.295 ADB. 2012. Summary Poverty Reduction and Social Strategy for the Sustainable Urban Development Investment Program in Armenia.Manila. p. 2.296 Ibid.68