The disutility of commuting? The effect of gender and local labor markets

TY - JOUR

T1 - The disutility of commuting? The effect of gender and local labor markets

AU - Jacob, Nikita

AU - Munford, Luke

AU - Rice, Nigel

AU - Roberts, Jennifer

N1 - Crown Copyright © 2019 Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy.

PY - 2019/6/1

Y1 - 2019/6/1

N2 - Standard economic theory postulates that commuting is a choice behavior undertaken when compensated through either lower rents or greater amenities in the housing market or through higher wages in the labor market. By exploiting exogenous shocks to commuting time, this paper investigates theimpact on well-being of increased commuting. Ceteris paribus, exogenous increases in commuting time are expected to lower well-being. We find this holds for women but not men. This phenomenon can be explained, in part, by the different labor markets in which women operate. Where local labor marketsare thin, women report significantly lower well-being when faced with an increased commute. This does not hold for tight local labor markets. Further our findings reveal that it is full-time working women in the managerial and professional tier of the occupational hierarchy who are most a affected. These results suggest that the policy solution for reducing the adverse effects of commuting may require changes to labor market institutions rather than changes to transport policy.

AB - Standard economic theory postulates that commuting is a choice behavior undertaken when compensated through either lower rents or greater amenities in the housing market or through higher wages in the labor market. By exploiting exogenous shocks to commuting time, this paper investigates theimpact on well-being of increased commuting. Ceteris paribus, exogenous increases in commuting time are expected to lower well-being. We find this holds for women but not men. This phenomenon can be explained, in part, by the different labor markets in which women operate. Where local labor marketsare thin, women report significantly lower well-being when faced with an increased commute. This does not hold for tight local labor markets. Further our findings reveal that it is full-time working women in the managerial and professional tier of the occupational hierarchy who are most a affected. These results suggest that the policy solution for reducing the adverse effects of commuting may require changes to labor market institutions rather than changes to transport policy.

KW - commuting

KW - exogenous shocks

KW - well-being

KW - panel data econometrics

U2 - 10.1016/j.regsciurbeco.2019.06.001

DO - 10.1016/j.regsciurbeco.2019.06.001

M3 - Article

SN - 0166-0462

VL - 77

SP - 264

EP - 275

JO - Regional Science and Urban Economics

JF - Regional Science and Urban Economics

ER -