Cultures of mothering and car use in suburban Sydney: a preliminary investigation

Abstract

The increasing use of cars by women, especially mothers, is one of the more significant transport trends of the past decade. This paper suggests the need for a fresh approach to this issue, namely one that emphasises culture. It demonstrates the potential insights offered by this approach by using it to interpret a small-scale, qualitative case study of suburban mothers’ motor vehicle use in Sydney, Australia. It suggests that the car is used as a `management tool', an aid in managing complex daily routines and to implement notions of `good mothering'. The study underlines the need for further, culturally aware, research on motor vehicle use and of the difficulties facing the development of successful sustainable transport policies.