The spatio-affective determinants of gender discrepancy in mobility experience: Influence of person-environment misfit and fear of crime on commuters' affective experience and behavioral intention to avoid mobility environments

Abstract

The present research examines gender disparities in environmental perception, affect, and subsequent behavioral intentions within the Parisian train network. Drawing from gender studies and environmental psychology, we investigated psychological factors explaining mobility differences across genders. We introduce a novel approach by operationalizing person-environment (PE) misfit as the algebraic difference between the affective connotations of a person and their environment, and by assessing the influence of fear of crime. In line with spatial androcentrism literature, we hypothesized that stronger feminine gender identification would predict a more negative PE misfit and greater fear of crime, which in turn would elicit negative affect and increase intentions to avoid the place. We tested this model in two preregistered studies (total N = 2637): a field study with commuters on Parisian train platforms (N = 1555) and an online study using a representative French sample (N = 1082) who reacted to photographs of a station. Results confirmed that PE misfit, fear of crime, and affective state mediated the relationship between feminine gender identification and the behavioral tendency to avoid the environment. These findings offer a new framework for creating more inclusive public spaces, demonstrating that interventions targeting both the objective environment to improve person-environment fit and perceived safety to lower fear of crime are essential for fostering equitable mobility and spatial well-being for all.