Commuting and Gender in Italy: A Methodological Issue

Abstract

Commuting in Italy has always been addressed without regard to gender differences. Following the issuance of a comprehensive database by the National Statistical Institute, it is now possible to analyze gender differences in personal mobility for the first time in Italy. For our analyses we used Local Labor Systems (LLS) zoning in lieu of administrative zoning. LLSs are territorial subdivisions based on the principle of a self-contained labor market and are widely used in Italy. This article also reports the results of a multidimensional data analysis aimed at highlighting relations between different gender-based commuting patterns and a set of variables (education level, age, household structure, occupational category, and position, etc.). The analysis points out gender differences in the relationship among commuting and socioeconomic characteristics, reveals that these relationships are in turn related to the economic structure and geographical context of different regional labor markets, and suggests to analysts that they be sensitive to singular context when interpreting the meaning of gender differences in commuting.

*I gratefully acknowledge the support of Silvia Bruzzone, Giovanni Cariani, and Nadia Mignolli, from the National Statistical Institute of Italy, in the undertaking of the multidimensional data analysis.

Key Words:

• commuting
• gender
• women studies
• Local Labor Systems
• Italy

Notes

*I gratefully acknowledge the support of Silvia Bruzzone, Giovanni Cariani, and Nadia Mignolli, from the National Statistical Institute of Italy, in the undertaking of the multidimensional data analysis.

Sex: 1) male; 2) female. Occupational status: 1) student; 2) Economically Active (EA). Means of transport: 1) on foot, by bike, other; 2) train, subway; 3) bus; 4) private car as driver; 5) private car as passenger; 6) moped. Departure time: 1) before 7:14; 2) 7:14–8:14; 3) 8:15–9:14; 4) after 9:14. Travel time: 1) less than 15 mins.; 2) 15–30 mins.; 3) 31–60 mins.; 3) more than 61 mins.

Note: EA=Economically active.

¹ Two recent studies have, for the first time, broken down the Rome municipality into smaller areas to investigate intraurban mobility: Crisci 2002; Casacchia, Natale, and Reynaud 2003.

² The cores of nine metropolitan areas that were to comprise municipalities with similar physical, social, and economic characteristics were defined in Law 142/90 (which vested greater autonomous administrative powers in local government bodies). The areas concerned were also intended to perform administrative functions, but none of them are currently operative ten years after the passing of Law 142/90 and the divisive debate it ignited.

³ The 1991 data on study-and work-related commuting was drawn from a matrix of places of origin and destination including 3,123,280 records. Due to processing complexities, the National Statistical Institute of Italy only issues its statistics some time after each census. Consequently, it will take a few years before the information concerning the commuting flows surveyed in the 2001 census is made available.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Flavia Cristaldi

An Associate Professor