Women more likely to quit job over tiresome commute

WOMEN are more likely than men to quit their job over a long commute because they value their time over money, the Office for National Statistics says.

An analysis by the ONS highlighted the different choices made by men and women in the workplace.

It stated that women tend to favour shorter commutes while men are more likely to tolerate a longer journey to the office in return for higher pay.

This combination contributes to men doing most high-paid jobs, which in turn contributes to the gender pay gap, it was found.

The “gender commuting gap” follows the same age pattern as the gender pay gap, opening up as people reach their mid-to-late 20s.

Women aged 30 to 59 were more likely to leave their jobs because of their commute than women aged under 30. The report said: “This suggests the differences in attitudes towards commuting time are likely to stem from having children.”

Women favour short commutes of 15 minutes, while men do the majority of longer journeys.

Women who have an hour-long commute are 29.1 per cent more likely to leave their current job than if they had a 10-minute commute, compared with 23.9 per cent for men. The trend is said to be most pronounced in Guildford, Surrey, and Aldershot, in Hampshire.

The ONS said: “Our results indicate that the decision to leave one’s job is more strongly influenced by commuting time for women than for men.

“This suggests that women tend to dislike longer commutes more than men. Our results are consistent with the finding that commuting has a detrimental impact on the psychological health of women but not of men.”

The study suggested that women work shorter hours and prefer jobs with flexible work schedules in order to fit in childcare.

Amber Rudd, the minister for Women and Equalities, said: “Women struggle to find a balance between being a parent and their job.

“I’m determined that women should be supported by the Government and their employer to find that balance.”