Gendered Mobility

Abstract

Gender differences in travel behaviour have been a key issue in the field of travel decision-making. Ensuring gender equity in travel services is an important part of social equity. Many foreign studies have focused on the various differences in travel characteristics between men and women. There are relatively few studies on gender difference in travel behaviour in China, and discussions on the reasons for the formation of gender differenceGender difference (Gender gap) are also quite scarce. This study takes the megacity of Beijing as an example, uses the 2015 Beijing residents’ travel survey data to identify the differences in travel decisions of male and female residents, and discusses the gender gaps in travel purpose, travel mode, trip frequency and travel space span. The results show that the travel activities of male residents in Beijing are mainly for working, and that they are more dependent on private transport. The proportion of leisure activities among female residents is significantly higher than that of males, and the use rate of public transport is higher. In addition, the data show that male residents have a relatively higher trip frequency per day and a relatively wider space span of trips. Based on these gender gaps in travel behaviour, a comprehensive transport service system that adapts to the population structure, especially the gender structure, is necessary to provide differentiated and personalised travel services to protect women’s travel rights and to promote transport equity.