New Article in “Sustainability” • 04.08.2020Reduced Commuting after First Childbirth Cuts Income

Based on data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP), the study examines how the transition to first parenthood affects the commuting behaviour of women and men in the years between 2001 and 2017, and what consequences this has for the mothers' income. In an interview, the principal author of the study, BiB scientist Dr. Thomas Skora, explains the key findings.

Dr. Skora, what are the consequences of the birth of the first child for the commuting behaviour of working mothers and fathers?

In our analysis, we found significant changes in the commuting behaviour of mothers of firstborn children. We found that women reduce their commuting distance by an average of 33 percent after the birth of their first child. Almost one in three of the interviewed mothers substantially reduced their commuting distance after the birth of their child, which means by at least one third of the distance they had travelled before, or by at least five kilometres for distances of up to 15 kilometres. In most cases, the reduction happens when women return to work after a period of parental leave. In the long run most of the mothers then maintain the reduced commuting distance. With regard to new fathers, on the other hand, our study shows that parenthood does not have any noticeable effect on their commuting mobility.

What consequences does this have for the financial situation of mothers and fathers?

The findings confirm that the disadvantage in wages associated with the transition to maternity, the so-called ‘motherhood wage penalty’, is significantly higher when mothers reduce their commuting distance substantially. According to our calculations, women who do not reduce their commuting distance after the birth of their first child have an average child-related wage loss of 8.7 percent. In comparison, the relative wage loss of women who reduce their commuting distance due to parenthood is about twice as high at 18.7 percent. However, the decisive factor for the loss of income is how the reduction of the commuting distance is put into practice. Only in very few cases, mothers relocate to a place close to their workplace. In this situation, the reduction of the commuting distance does not cause any loss of wages. However, it is much more common for mothers to take up a new job closer to home. If we exclusively look at mothers who reduce their commuting distance by switching to a job closer to home, we can see average wage losses of 30 percent. Our analyses thus show that almost a quarter of the total maternity-related wage disadvantage can be explained by the reduction in commuting.

Maternity-related wage losses are also regarded as a major reason for the gender pay gap. In this respect, our analyses also suggest that the unilateral decline in maternal commuting also contributes to the often-discussed pay gap between the two parents, as men can still reach workplaces at a great spatial distance even in the context of parenthood given their lower responsibility for domestic and family work.

What are the reasons for the higher wage losses when mothers cut their commuting distances?

In our study, we were able to identify several mechanisms that explain this relationship in more detail. We find that wage losses are partly due to the fact that a job change means the loss of wage advantages resulting from company-specific know-how and in-house career development. A second important cause is the restriction to the job market close to the place of residence. In favour of shorter commuting distances and due to a lack of alternatives, jobs that no longer match one’s own qualification profile are often accepted. In addition, mothers living in the suburbs and in the countryside often work for smaller companies, which on average pay lower wages than larger companies in the city centres.

Skora, Thomas; Rüger, Heiko; Stawarz, Nico (2020): Commuting and the Motherhood Wage Gap: Evidence from Germany. Sustainability 12(14): 5692.