Gender differences in children's pathways to independent mobility

Abstract

This paper presents some empirical findings relating to the independent mobility of children in two parts of south-east England – one a south London borough, the other a suburban county north of London. In both locations boys appear to enjoy greater mobility than girls, and become independent much earlier. But closer analysis suggests that girls manage to attain similar levels of independence from adults by travelling more in groups. This collective independence achieved through peers is often overlooked, and may compensate modern children to some extent for their loss of individual freedom.

Keywords:

• children
• independent mobility
• social networks
• peer groups
• gender differences

Acknowledgements

This paper has been written as part of a project entitled ‘Children's Activities Perceptions and Behaviour in the Local Environment (CAPABLE)’ which is being funded by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) under grant GR/T09378/01 for 2 years and 5 months from August 2004. It was carried out at UCL as a joint project between the Centre for Transport Studies, the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, the Bartlett School of Planning and the Psychology Department. The co-operation of the children who took part in this exercise and their teachers and parents is greatly appreciated, as is assistance from Hertfordshire County Council.

Notes

See http://www.casa.ucl.ac.uk/capableproject/