Women’s Issues in Transportation: Summary of the 4th International Conference, Volume 1: Conference Overview and Plenary Papers (2011)

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35 PleNARY SeSSION 5 Effects of Gender on Mobility Susan Hanson, Clark University, Presiding Randall Crane, University of California, Los Angeles liang Ye, University of California, Davis Sandra Rosenbloom, University of Arizona, Discussant The session on the effects of gender on mobility examined the demographics of travel demand and behavior in general as well as for specific cultures. Of particular interest to the authors were questions about gender as it relates to mode shift, especially to transit but also to walking and bicycling. sourCes of The narrowing and widening of Travel differenCes by gender Randall Crane and Lois Takahashi This study analyzes national microdata covering the past 20 years and examines convergence and divergence in travel behaviors by gender. The gender gap in the com- mute length of older workers is growing while that of younger workers steadily closes. At the same time, racial differences in mode choice and commute times are becoming less pronounced both by race and by gender. Gendered elements of travel demand are evolving, but perhaps not in predictable directions. The data used for this study come from the American Housing Survey and are therefore national in scope. The data show commute length is growing for all ages and races. The length of commute for women increased by 30% over the 20-year period, while men’s commutes increased by 22%. Men’s commutes continue to be longer in both time and distance. The numbers are slowly con- verging, but it is not clear that the trend will continue. The gender gap is largely a white phenomenon. The gap is opening for Hispanics, but it appears to be lessen- ing for blacks and Asians. Commute length is most stable for white men. The largest increase is for latino men, fol- lowed by black women, latino women, and black men. Black women’s use of transit has declined dramatically. The gap between the genders declines during the child-bearing years. It is getting smaller for whites until about the age of 50, but then it gets larger. Working wives are catching up with men very quickly. For mar- ried women with children, the gender commute gap is narrowing; therefore, the presence of children in the household is apparently of no consequence in the length of commute. effeCTs of gender on CommuTer behavior Changes in The ConTexT of maJor freeway reConsTruCTion Patricia L. Mokhtarian, Liang Ye, and Meiping Yun This study examined commuting impacts during a 9-week period between May 30 and July 31, 2008, when a 1-mile stretch of Interstate 5 (I-5) in downtown Sacra- mento, California, was intermittently closed for recon- struction (the “Fix I-5 project,” or “the Fix”). Prior to and during the closings, extensive information was pro- vided about the construction. Increased transit use was encouraged by offering enhanced service (and, in a few cases, reduced fares). Additional changes included free parking and reduced off-street parking rates after 5:00 p.m., tow truck service, and telecommuting promotion.

36 WOMeN’S ISSueS IN TRANSPORTATION, vOluMe 1 To study the impact of the Fix on commuters’ travel behavior, a series of three Internet-based surveys were conducted. This study offers a preliminary analysis of the first two of those surveys, focusing on the effects of gender. Gender differences are analyzed for both passive impacts (impacts of the Fix that were out of commut- ers’ control) and active changes (changes in commuters’ behavior during the Fix). The passive impacts of the Fix do not appear excessive. Women were more likely to be affected by the Fix, in both good and bad ways, but considering positive and nega- tive effects together, they were not notably worse (or bet- ter) off than men. Among the active changes to commute trips, the easiest options—avoiding rush hour and chang- ing route—were the most common responses (adopted by 48% and 45%, respectively), and women were more likely than men to employ them. Among the changes that reduce vehicle miles traveled, increasing transit use was the most common choice (although adopted by only 5% of the relevant subsample). Women were again more likely to use transit (6.1%) than men (4.2%). Overall, women were 21% more likely to make at least one change than men were (64% versus 53%), either because they expe- rienced more adverse impacts than men or because they have a greater tendency to make socially and environmen- tally beneficial changes in general. A binary logit model of the choice to increase transit use suggests persuading current transit users to increase transit use was easier than convincing nonusers to switch. employer transit subsidies supported increases in transit use (but only for women), while variable work hours (for women) and free on-site parking (for both men and women) discouraged transit use. Men in managerial, administrative, professional, or technical occupations and women in larger households were also more likely to increase their transit use. In comparison with men, women survey respondents tended to have lower household income, have less educa- tion, and be slightly younger. They were also more likely to hold clerical positions and more likely to work part time. Women were more likely than men to drive alone and also to use carpools or vanpools. They were less likely to use transit or to bicycle. Women were slightly more likely to be affected by the Fix, as they were more likely to be delayed or to take a detour and arrive more quickly. Many (40% to 45%) said they would continue to commute by transit. Men were more likely to report negatively about their transit commutes. Both groups were likely to continue adopting a compressed work week (40% to 45%), but men were slightly more inclined to do so. disCussanT Sandra Rosenbloom Rosenbloom noted we have come a long way in estab- lishing gender research as a legitimate area of inquiry, but we need to go beyond gender differences and include race, household size, and other variables. Researchers need to react quickly and study circumstances such as the Fix, which presents a real-world example. She sug- gested that we need to learn much more about the con- stant conflict between sustainability, green growth, and other issues and their effects on women. Research in this area is increasingly sophisticated; we are digging deeper, and each piece generates new ideas for further research. TopiCs for furTher researCh The research needs identified include the following: • Conduct more study of age–gender and race–gender interactions in more detail, particularly among the work- ing elderly and suburbanizing minorities. • Merge the attitudinal and behavioral data collected in conjunction with the Fix and analyze the persistence of Fix-related changes several months after normal oper- ations resumed. • Explore gender differences in behavior changes other than increased transit use (e.g., increased telecom- muting). • Explore other unplanned changes in cases of earth- quake and other extreme events. • Study behavior changes in relation to women’s occupations. • Examine the differences in men’s and women’s reporting behavior (e.g., the tendency of women to report at the extremes).