Commuting and Gender in a Lifestyle Perspective

Abstract

This article examines gender differences in the context of the relationship between residential relocation and commuting distance. Traditional theories stress women's higher sensitivity to distance, and expect women to quit their jobs more often in the event of a residential move. This appears to be true. However, the gender difference in quitting is constant by distance. Also, women who move over very short distances quit their jobs more often than men. Furthermore, women who remained working at the same job saw their commuting distance increase even more substantially than that of men. Therefore, there is no evidence for the sensitivity hypothesis. Instead, significant effects of lifestyle are found. In some ways, gender differences are almost absent for the most 'modern' lifestyle group.