City Commute, Family Time Allocation, and Married Women’s Labor Force Participation
Sun Weizeng1, Liu Shimeng2, Li Hanxiong3, Li Lu2
1.Joint Research Institute, Nanjing Audit University, Nanjing 211815, China 2.Institute for Economic and Social Research, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China 3.School of Management, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi’an 710055, China
Abstract：Married women’s labor force participation plays a critical role in unlocking the “second demographic dividend”. However, with the rapid advancement of urbanization in China, the problem of urban traffic congestion has become increasingly severe. Prolonged commuting times pose new challenges to married women’s time allocation between family responsibilities and work. In this context, this paper investigates the impact of urban commuting time on married women’s labor force participation from the perspective of commuting convenience. The study aims at providing a novel theoretical framework for understanding the persistently low labor force participation rate of women in China and to propose targeted policy recommendations for enhancing labor market potential and optimizing the labor supply structure.Using data from the 2015 1% National Population Sample Survey, this paper’s empirical analysis finds the following: First, longer urban commuting times significantly suppress married women’s labor force participation. After controlling for city characteristics, individual traits, and provincial fixed effects, two-stage least squares (2SLS) regression using the urban land price gradient as an instrumental variable shows that for every additional minute of commuting time, the probability of labor market participation among married women aged 20-49 decreases by approximately 1.8 percentage points. Second, based on married women’s trade-offs between work and family, the impact of commuting time on labor participation exhibits notable heterogeneity at the individual, household, and regional levels. Married women with young children and urban household registration are more adversely affected, while those with higher education levels or elderly family members in good health experience less negative impact. Third, mechanism analysis reveals that as commuting time increases, married women are more likely to exit the labor market to engage in household caregiving. This finding aligns with the household responsibility hypothesis in the context of China’s traditional gendered division of labor, characterized by the norm of “men working outside, women staying inside”. Finally, an extended analysis indicates that metro system expansions and enhanced social eldercare services can mitigate the negative effect of commuting time on married women’s labor force participation.The main innovations and potential contributions of this paper are as follows First, this paper empirically examines the impact of urban commuting time on married women’s labor force participation using micro-level population data from China for the first time, and ensures the robustness of the causal relationship by constructing effective instrumental variables. Second, by combining heterogeneity and mechanism analyses, this paper validates the Household Responsibility Hypothesis (HRH) regarding the influence of commuting time on married women’s labor participation, providing empirical evidence for related theories. Third, based on the research findings, this paper proposes targeted policy recommendations, including optimizing urban spatial planning and transportation networks, expanding access to preschool education and public childcare and eldercare services, and encouraging flexible and part-time work arrangements for married women. These recommendations hold practical value for increasing married women’s labor force participation, optimizing the labor supply structure, and promoting sustainable economic and social development.
孙伟增, 刘诗濛, 李汉雄, 李璐. 城市通勤、家庭时间配置与已婚女性劳动参与[J]. 浙江大学学报(人文社会科学版), 2025, 55(5): 145-160.
Sun Weizeng, Liu Shimeng, Li Hanxiong, Li Lu. City Commute, Family Time Allocation, and Married Women’s Labor Force Participation. JOURNAL OF ZHEJIANG UNIVERSITY, 2025, 55(5): 145-160.
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