Women do the bulk of caregiving, whether it’s for children, disabled adults, or the elderly. And according to new research published in Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, they also do the bulk of caregiving travel, which means commuting to take those groups where they need to go, such as to school or to doctor appointments. But that disproportionate load, coupled with their other caregiving duties and actual jobs, is stressing them out.
Researchers analyzed data from the U.S. Department of Labor’s 2021 American Time Use Survey and found that, regardless of their employment status, women were 60% more likely than men to provide caregiving travel (at a 23% probability, compared with 14% for men).
During those trips, women reported an increase in their level of stress and a decrease in their happiness and sense of meaning. Researchers who led the study believe that those findings reflect how much pressure women are under—which seems to be, well, more pressure than their male counterparts.
The study found that men who provided caregiving travel spent less time on it than women of equal employment. They also spent less time on overall caregiving duties; therefore, the men weren’t stretched as thin, so the added duty wasn’t as taxing as it was on women.
“Men who work full time have a lower probability of providing caregiving travel on weekdays compared to men who are not employed,” said Atiyya Shaw, University of Michigan assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering and senior author of the study. “Further, men whose female partners work tend to have a higher probability of performing caregiving travel compared with unpartnered men. For women, neither of these trends apply.”
The study did not distinguish between same and different gender partners.
The study’s lead researchers say there is work to be done when it comes to transportation infrastructure systems, to give women a break when it comes to transportation caregiving. By supporting forms of independent travel for kids, the elderly, and people with disabilities, the burden can be made lighter. Local governments should ensure that walking, biking, and transit options are accessible, and they should also partner with programs that transport disabled people and get children to school, such as Safe Rides to School, the researchers say.
To be sure, more can be done by local governments, and even federally, to ease the disproportionate burden that women take on with caregiving duties regardless of employment status. But perhaps it’s also the responsibility of able-bodied men to pick up the slack that’s bogging women down in the first place. And if they need a study to support that argument, well, there are certainly plenty to choose from.