Gender differences in commuting in dual-earner households

Abstract Prior literature analyzing gender differences in commuting has reported that men commute longer distance/time than do women, and one explanation for this gender gap is based on household responsibilities falling on women. But most of the literature examining gender differences in commuting has not considered the interdependence that exists between the members of couples. We analyze gender differences in commuting time, and we take into account the inter-relatedness of decisions, estimating Seemingly Unrelated Regressions (SUR) on commuting time and mode of transport (private, public, and active transport) for dual-earner couples in Spain, Italy, Korea, and the United Kingdom. Our results indicate that the number of children is significantly related to shorter female commuting times in Spain, Italy, and the UK, with no associations found for men, while in Korea there is a reduction in both male and female commuting times. Additionally, the presence of children significantly increases (decreases) the proportion of commuting time done by private (public) transport, but results differ significantly by gender, number of children, and country. Our evidence indicates that couples’ decisions on commuting are complementary, which may shed light on the relationship in commuting that theoretical models should address. JEL Classification: R40 - J22 - O57 - D19