Where and how do women travel more and longer than men? Focusing on Mobility Gender Gap by Age Groups

Abstract

This study examines the spatial gender gap in urban mobility within the Seoul metropolitan area, South Korea, with a focus on how these disparities evolve across different age groups. Using large-scale mobile phone data, we analyzed travel patterns by composing gender and age to a Gender Gap Index (GGI), incorporating factors such as socio-economic status and transportation infrastructure to quantify mobility differences. The findings reveal a distinct spatial and generational difference. First, women make more trips than men in urban area. While older women exhibit traditional mobility patterns characterized by shorter trips, younger women increasingly travel longer and more frequently than male peers. In order to unpack nuance of the non-linear and interaction effects among variables, we applied explainable machine learning on this large-scale Origin-Destination (OD) dataset. Using XGBoost with Shapley additive explanation (SHAP) values, we found that age is not only a key determinant of GGI but also modulates the influence of household structure and income on gendered mobility patterns. This trend diverges from major global norms and reflects the broader influence of evolving social norms and labour market participation in Korea. Our findings demonstrate that women's tendency to take shorter trips is not an inherent trait but rather a result of social and structural influences.