Urban mobility and gender inequalities in the city of São Paulo

Abstract

In most Brazilian cities, accessibility and spatial mobility follow a pattern of circulation inequalities among groups of individuals, including gender disparities. In this research, the general aim was to evaluate differences between men and women regarding mobility around the city of São Paulo, specifically regarding the duration of trips and the number of trips made. Multilevel regression models were used to verify how individual and contextual variables influence the dynamics of urban mobility. The hypothesis that there are statistically significant differences between the duration of the trip and the number of trips made in the city of São Paulo, when comparing men and women, was not rejected. Being a woman implies a longer average trip duration and a smaller number of trips to reach the destination of interest, in relation to the estimates obtained for male individuals. This evidence is in line with what is discussed in the literature that, due to the logic of social gender roles, the sexual division of labor and gender as a social and difference marker guides choices, patterns and possibilities of mobility.