Commuting Behaviours and the Gender Pay Gap

Abstract

In this paper, we investigate whether gender differences in the willingness to commute may explain part of the gender pay gap. To test whether women tend to favor jobs with shorter commutes at the expense of pay, we examine whether the reasons for job separation differ between men and women, focusing on the role of hourly pay and commuting time. We find that commuting time has a greater impact on the decision to leave one’s job for women than men whereas hourly rate has a greater impact for men than women. Addressing the gender pay gap would involve tackling the reasons why women accept lower wages in exchange for greater flexibility and shorter commutes.