The Gender Gap in Commuting Distance: Why do Women Commute Shorter Distances than Men?

Abstract

We examine the gender gap in commuting distance over time. We show that the gender gap in commuting distance has decreased less than the wage earnings gap. This holds true also for singles without children, where an uneven division of household duties should not be a factor. In 1998, the lion’s share of the gender gap in commuting distance could be explained by job specialization and women’s higher marginal cost of commuting due to their higher share of unpaid work. However, by 2017, the influence of these factors has diminished, resulting in a growing “unexplained” gender gap in commuting distance.

Gender and commuting