Differences in the spatial landscape of urban mobility: gender and socioeconomic perspectives

TL;DR

This study investigates how gender and socioeconomic factors influence urban mobility diversity in South American cities, revealing systematic disparities and contributing to understanding mobility inequalities.

Contribution

It introduces a computational and statistical framework to analyze gender and socioeconomic disparities in urban mobility using large-scale travel survey data.

Findings

Discrepancies in mobility diversity linked to gender and socioeconomic status.

Women and lower socioeconomic groups exhibit less diverse travel destinations.

Gender and socioeconomic disparities are evident in work and non-work travel patterns.

Abstract

Many of our routines and activities are linked to our ability to move; be it commuting to work, shopping for groceries, or meeting friends. Yet, factors that limit the individuals' ability to fully realise their mobility needs will ultimately affect the opportunities they can have access to (e.g., cultural activities, professional interactions). One important aspect frequently overlooked in human mobility studies is how gender-centred issues can amplify other sources of mobility disadvantages (e.g., socioeconomic inequalities), unevenly affecting the pool of opportunities men and women have access to. In this work, we leverage on a combination of computational, statistical, and information-theoretical approaches to investigate the existence of systematic discrepancies in the mobility diversity (i.e., the diversity of travel destinations) of (1) men and women from different socioeconomic backgrounds, and (2) work and non-work travels. Our analysis is based on datasets containing multiple instances of large-scale, official, travel surveys carried out in three major metropolitan areas in South America: Medell\'in and Bogot\'a in Colombia, and S\~ao Paulo in Brazil. Our results indicate the presence of general discrepancies in the urban mobility diversities related to the gender and socioeconomic characteristics of the individuals. Lastly, this paper sheds new light on the possible origins of gender-level human mobility inequalities, contributing to the general understanding of disaggregated patterns in human mobility.