TRAVEL TO WORK AND HOUSEHOLD RESPONSIBILITY - NEW EVIDENCE

A persistent empirical finding in the research on travel patterns is t hat women tend to engage in shorter work commutes than men. Research e valuating the degree to which this gender differential in commuting ma y be explained by the division of labor in the household has produced decidedly mixed findings. This paper presents a critical review of the methods and results of recent research on the gender differential in commuting along with the associated implications for the household res ponsibility hypothesis (HRH). While all of the articles reviewed are i nformative and unique, not all conclusions are well supported. The pap er then tests the HRH using the 1990 NPTS travel data. The new evidenc e confirms that women continue to exhibit shorter commute times and di stances than men and provides support for the HRH. The paper concludes with a summary of findings and recommendations for further research.