Commuting more stressful for women than for men, says report

Summary of story from The Guardian, August 22, 2011

Commuting to work has a greater impact on the mental wellbeing of women than of men, according to new research.

Men spend more time on average travelling to and from work, but it was generally found to have no impact on their health.

It does, however, have a negative effect on women.

The co-author of the report, Professor Jennifer Roberts of Sheffield University, suggested the daily commute could be more stressful for women because they are more likely to have additional demands on their time.

These could be household tasks, collecting their children from childcare or carrying out domestic chores en route.

This theory is supported by the fact that the psychological impact of commuting was greatest in women with pre-school children; they were affected four times more than men with pre-school children.

The research, entitled “It’s driving her mad: Gender differences in the effects of commuting on psychological health”, was published in the Journal of Health Economics.