Gender and time poverty: the neglected social policy implications of gendered time, transport and travel

Women in the developed world have different trans port and travel patterns from men. Women are often involved in poorly resourced, highly complex, mul tiple-purpose trips (trip chaining); men tend to make single-purpose trips at higher cost and using superior modes of transport. These differences in transport and travel patterns are generated out of differential access by g ender to economic resources, social resources and time resources. Women are time poor as a consequence of the disproportionate level of household task s they are required to perform within present social structures. This resea rch note identifies gaps in current UK social policy development around get ting single mothers from welfare into work. It suggests a range of informat ion technology based solutions which could assist single mothers in accompl ishing the complex coordinatory task set them by the new policies on lone p arenthood which need to be accompanied by improvements in transport if the 'welfare to work' policy is to be successful.