Distance and Labor Force Participation: Implications for Urban and Rural Women

Abstract

Six explanations for differences in worktrips between men and women and among different groups of women workers are reviewed in this paper. The first argues that women's secondary role in the labor force and the dual roles women assume (combining paid work with domestic responsibilities) reinforce their resistance to long worktrips. The second explanation is that women's economic returns to commuting do not justify long worktrips. A third argument is that women's jobs are more likely to be located closer to their homes than are men's. Fourth, some have argued that spatially segmented labor markets have emerged to draw on pools of conveniently located, cheap female labor. A fifth set of arguments focuses on the relationship between home and work, arguing that it is different for women than for men, resulting in different commuting choices. A final set of arguments is based on the claim that distance imposes varied constraints on women with different levels of skills and resources. Research on each of these explanatory themes is reviewed and evaluated. The subsequent sections of the paper address the comparative position of urban and rural women, the policy implications of these research findings, and identifies future research and data needs.

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