Gender Differences in Response to Policies Targeting Commute to Automobile-Restricted Central Business District: Stated Preference Study of Mode Choice in Tehran, Iran

Several studies have indicated that responses to policies intended to reduce car use may fall short of the predicted or desired response, which suggests a need for improved behavioral models. One basis for improvement is to better account for population heterogeneity. In particular, studies show that men and women have different transportation patterns that reflect gender-related characteristics and roles in families; these differences can be manifested in their mode choice in the presence of demand management strategies. On the basis of stated preference data on mode choice that were gathered from a sample of drivers commuting to the central business district in Tehran, Iran, this study used generalized nested logit models to find the significant variables that affected each gender's mode choice under some price- and time-oriented policies. Although some variables were common to both genders, other variables influenced only men's or only women's behavior. Further, some of the common variables did not have the same signs for both genders; this finding offers post hoc validation of the need to model the genders’ behavior separately. Several results suggest that the hypothetical policies tested elicited changes not only in travel behavior, but possibly also in household roles and lifestyle. The authors believe that understanding the gender-based differences in factors important to mode choice can help identify policies that serve each gender's needs better and thus potentially increase the willingness of both genders to shift away from driving.