Changes in gendered mobility patterns in the context of the Great Recession (2007–2012)

Abstract

The aim of the present study is to analyze the interrelation between daily mobility and gender in the context of economic change. The financial crisis that has affected Spain from 2008 has witnessed significant shifts in daily mobility, which have not been equal for all socio-demographic groups. This study was undertaken in the Barcelona Metropolitan Region and it seeks to understand whether or not, during those economically difficult circumstances of the Great Recession, more equal travel patterns between men and women have emerged or, by contrast, whether or not the already existent gendered differences have deepened, paying special attention to which gender has travel habits that have changed the most. Using a quantitative approach, based on mobility data from the Working Day Mobility Surveys (EMEF) from the years 2007 and 2012, the analysis examines the changing trends in several mobility indicators such as men's and women's immobility rate, their average number of daily trips, their main mobility purposes, their modal choice habits and the time they invest in traveling.