Abstract/Description

This research paper examines the impact of the Women Safety App (WSA) on female mobility in urban Lahore, Pakistan. Through a randomized field experiment targeting lower middle-income households, we evaluate the effectiveness of the WSA in reshaping gender safety perceptions and increasing female presence in public spaces. The intervention includes comprehensive training and awareness sessions, followed by the download and registration of the app on participants' smartphones. Data collected from 319 working-age women reveal significant improvements in mobility patterns and safety perceptions postintervention. Our preliminary findings indicate the intervention significantly impacts extensive margin, increasing the time spent travelling. Further it improves their travel agency, and the number of unaccompanied trips increases by 9 percentage points while number of walking trips increases by 14 percentage points. These findings underscore the potential of technology-driven interventions to address gender-based constraints and promote inclusive urban environments. Mechanisms for improving mobility and empowerment are discussed.

Keywords

women's safety, female mobility, urban Lahore, gender empowerment, technology intervention, randomized field experiment

JEL Codes

B54; Z1

Location

S2 room, Adamjee building

Session Theme

Digital Transformation: Insights from Complex Economic Data

Session Type

Parallel Technical Session

Session Chair

Hadia Majid, Lahore University of Management Sciences

Session Discussant

Wali Ullah, Institute of Business Administration ; Zehra Aftab, Prince Muhammad University

Start Date

9-12-2024 2:30 PM

End Date

9-12-2024 4:30 PM

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Dec 9th, 2:30 PM Dec 9th, 4:30 PM

Digital bodyguards: Experimental evidence on the role of personal safety on mobility and empowerment

S2 room, Adamjee building

This research paper examines the impact of the Women Safety App (WSA) on female mobility in urban Lahore, Pakistan. Through a randomized field experiment targeting lower middle-income households, we evaluate the effectiveness of the WSA in reshaping gender safety perceptions and increasing female presence in public spaces. The intervention includes comprehensive training and awareness sessions, followed by the download and registration of the app on participants' smartphones. Data collected from 319 working-age women reveal significant improvements in mobility patterns and safety perceptions postintervention. Our preliminary findings indicate the intervention significantly impacts extensive margin, increasing the time spent travelling. Further it improves their travel agency, and the number of unaccompanied trips increases by 9 percentage points while number of walking trips increases by 14 percentage points. These findings underscore the potential of technology-driven interventions to address gender-based constraints and promote inclusive urban environments. Mechanisms for improving mobility and empowerment are discussed.