The impacts of women's careers on their commuting behavior: A case study of Israeli computer professionals

Abstract

The growth in women's participation in the labor force has attracted attention to gender differences in commuting behavior and to their implications. The present study focuses on the relationship between women's willingness to extend their commuting trips in exchange for career gains. Career gains were defined in broad terms, to encompass whatever the individual woman viewed as desirable improvement in her work situation. Three categories of variables were examined: career factors, family factors, and commute factors. The sample consisted of 162 women working in computer-related professions, in the Tel-Aviv metropolitan area. The majority of respondents expressed willingness to extend their journey to work for a career improvement. Commute duration and distance were the major determinants of such willingness: the longer the present commute, the more reluctant were women to further lengthen it. Career orientation was positively associated with willingness to increase commute, whereas education level, rank and weekly working hours did not have a significant influence. Among women of weaker career orientation, willingness was higher when their job was incongruent with their career aspirations. Mothers of young children were less inclined to travel more. Women dependent on public transport showed a greater sensitivity to the presence of a young child in their inclination to increase commute travel time than those who used private cars. The study supports the hypothesis that attitudinal data seem to offer greater explanatory power than simple indicators of employment.