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City’s buses full of commuting women 

Survey raises more gender questions than it answers

      by amy zimmer / metro new york        

AUG 12, 2008

Looking at New Yorkers’ commuting behavior, one can’t help but think of “Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus.”

Vicky Lovell notes that men, nationally, tend to have longer commutes than women and look for the fastest commute possible. That might explain partially why so many more women take the bus according to a review of commuter surveys. (Photo: aharon rothschild)

Nearly 200,000 more men drive alone to work than women, and nearly 100,000 more working women take the bus than their male counterparts, according to 2006 American Community Survey data for New York. Of 1.89 million working New York men, an estimated 522,799 drive alone. Of 1.71 million working women, 325,499 drive alone. On buses, there were 290,401 commuting women compared to 191,838 men.

“Men have higher-paying jobs than women, so they may be better positioned financially to use a more expensive commuting mode,” said Vicky Lovell, of the D.C.-based Institute for Women’s Policy Research. “Women have higher rates of part-time work, and those working less than full-time may feel that commuting by car is too expensive.”

Attorney Candida Bologna, 28, takes a 15-minute ride on the M9 from her home in the East Village to her office in the Financial District, but her live-in boyfriend, who works nearby, prefers taking cabs.

“He won’t take a bus or a subway,” Bologna said. “It’s slow, he’s impatient. He hates to stand. … I don’t want to spend money on cabs. I pay enough on rent.”

A handful of men picking up their cars from a Water Street parking lot gloated about not having to wait on “hot,” “smelly,” “noisy” platforms. “I spent 40 years riding the subways. It’s enough,” one attorney said, refusing to give his name.

Tiré de : http://ny.metro.us/metro/local/