The present study reviews and critically discusses existing research on older women in traffic is scarce. In addition, the methods used in the studies reviewed for this report were predominately quantitative and there were few observable attempts to a deeper understanding of the central concepts, or of the main findings. However, the existing research evidence shows that women and men do indeed travel differently. The women's travel is in general limited to geographically smaller areas and it is more influenced by social factors than men's travel is. To some extent, such gender-related differences decrease with age. The nature and causes of gender differences in travel and traffic behaviour defy easy explanations. In the current literature, the concepts of traffic, age, and gender have not been problematised and specific methodological problems related to the study of gender or of ageing were not often mentioned. It is suggested that a wider perspective including an increasing use of qualitative methods might be useful for future research trying to fill in the present gaps of knowledge and understanding in this field. (A)
Abstract