What Explains the Gender Gap in Schlepping? Testing Various Explanations for Gender Differences in Household‐Serving Travel*

Abstract

ObjectivesMany gender differences in travel have begun to converge. Has convergence occurred for household‐serving travel, which constitutes a very large and growing share of all trips? Moreover, what explains the division of household‐serving travel in heterosexual couples? In answering these questions, we test the salience of three theories about the gendered division of household labor: (1) time availability, (2) microeconomic, and (3) gender socialization.MethodsUsing data from the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) from 2003 to 2012, we calculated the female‐to‐male ratio of household‐serving trips in several types of households (i.e., singles vs. couples and male vs. female breadwinner households).ResultsThere was some empirical support for each theory, but we find the most consistent and compelling evidence for gender socialization. We observe substantial gender differences in child‐ and household‐serving trips apart from household formation; even in households where women earn more, are better educated, or work more hours than their partners, women still make about half again as many child‐serving and grocery‐shopping trips as their male partners.ConclusionDespite dramatic changes in women's labor force participation over the past half‐century, the gender division of household‐serving travel remains strong.