MEN, WOMEN, AND URBAN TRAVEL: THE PERSISTENCE OF SEPARATE SPHERES

This paper examines the historical travel patterns of men and women. It is shown that the city was deliberately structured to place men and women in separate spheres, and as the city adjusts over time to the universal mobility provided by the automobile, it is doing so in a social environment which insures the continued existence of those separate spheres. It is pointed out that, while women have entered the work force in very large numbers, they still make work trips which are on average substantially shorter than men's and make many more trips for the purpose of serving passengers (delivering someone to a destination). Three reasons are given to explain why women live closer to their jobs than do men: women are paid substantially lower salaries than men; recent suburbanization of service and retail activity has resulted in "women's" jobs being more evenly distributed across the urban landscape than the professional and technical jobs which are more typically held by men; and, even as they enter the workforce, women retain their family obligations as nurturers, shoppers, and homemakers. It is concluded that women's travel patterns will continue to differ substantially from those of men.

• Corporate Authors:

  University of California, Los Angeles

  School of Architecture and Urban Planning
  Los Angeles, CA  United States  90024
• Authors:
  • Wachs, M
• Publication Date: 1988-10

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: 20 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Females; Males; Travel patterns
• Subject Areas: Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00602590
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: D888
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Dec 31 1990 12:00AM