Longer commutes linked to gender pay gap, says Office for National Statistics

Women tend to favour the flexibility of taking less time to travel to work, ONS said
Jeremy Selwyn
Benedict Moore-Bridger4 September 2019

Women are more likely than men to leave their job because of a longer commute to work, according to analysis by the Office for National Statistics.

Women tend to favour the flexibility of taking less time to travel to work, especially as they are the main providers of childcare, while men are more likely to tolerate a longer journey to the office in return for higher pay, the ONS report said.

The disparity follows the same age pattern as the gender pay gap, with both opening up as people reach their mid to late twenties, implying a link with having children, the report said.

The ONS said: “While the average commute remains unchanged for women aged over 30, it increases by more than 50 per cent for men.

"This divergence could be partly driven by families moving out of London, with men being more likely than women to continue working in the capital.”

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