Gendered transition in travel mode patterns following childbirth: A longitudinal analysis of pre-childbirth working parents in the Netherlands

Abstract

Longitudinal research has shown that childbirth is not necessarily a transitional timing for increased car use. This study contributes to this emerging body of evidence using a nuanced gender lens. Drawing upon paired-wave data from the Netherlands Mobility Panel, the analysis of this study focused on heterosexual working parents one year before and after they gave birth to a child. Results from the latent transition analysis did not show significant changes in the number of the four identified travel mode patterns, including the Less Mobile group, the Car-dominant group, the Multimodal [car and (e−)bicycle] group, and the (E−)Bicycle-dominant group, pre-post childbirth. However, there were gender differences in transition between these four groups. Particularly for females, the Less Mobile group and the Multimodal group at pre-childbirth tended to turn into the Car-dominant group at post-childbirth. The (E−)Bicycle-dominant group had a similar probability of switching to the Multimodal group for both genders, indicating partial increases in car use among previous cyclists following childbirth. The intersectional analysis further revealed heterogeneity in gendered transition by parental status, socioeconomic position and residential context, thereby contributing to identifying timing and gender subgroups at risks of shifting towards car-oriented travel patterns for targeted interventions.