Understanding relative commuting within dual-earner couples in Germany

Women’s entrenched workforce participation has contributed to the rise in dual-earner households over the last two decades in Germany. In transport research, dual-earner households are gaining more importance over time, as intra-couple interactions play a significant role in housing, mobility and travel behaviour. Various studies on gender differences in commuting claim that women commute shorter distances than men due to their secondary labour status within the family. However, this gender gap in commuting behaviour has steadily declined over recent decades. Nevertheless, the intra-household factors causing the gender gap in commute distance between partners are not yet fully understood. The study examines the association between intra-household arrangements (economic power, car access, labour and domestic work-sharing and preferences on work-sharing) within dual-earner couples and the gender gap in their commute distances (called relative commuting here). We used the German National Time Use Survey and employed regression analysis. Four general findings of the study are: (a) male partners commute longer than female partners, (b) gender differences in economic prospects increase the gender gap; (c) a relative dominance of car access by the female partner reduces the gender gap in commute distances, and (d) an increase in time spent on unpaid work by the male partner decreases the gender gap.