Is There a Quiet Revolution in Women's Travel? Revisiting the Gender Gap in Commuting

Although the trip linking work and home has been consistently and persistently shorter for women than men, new reports suggest that the gender gap in commuting time and distance may have quietly vanished in some areas. To explore this possibility, this study uses panel data from the American Housing Survey to better measure and explain commuting trends for the entire United States from 1985 through 2005. The data indicates that differences stubbornly endure, with men's and women's commuting distances converging only slowly and commuting times diverging. These results also show that commuting times are converging for all races, especially for women, and women's trips to work by transit are dwindling rapidly. These findings indicate that gender continues to play an important role explaining travel, housing, and labor market dynamics. Implications of these findings for planning practice and research are discussed.

Language

  • English

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Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01080669
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS, ATRI
  • Created Date: Nov 15 2007 10:32AM