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WASHINGTON – A lengthy commute can be par for the course in the D.C. area, but a new study is finding daily gridlock is taking its toll on women more than men.
While women and men in the D.C. area who drive have an average 30-minute commute, the time behind the wheel is impacting women’s health and stress levels, according to research. Women can feel more stress because they often add errands and other stops between home and work, according to The Washington Post.
For one in six women — about one-third of whom have children — the daily commute is getting longer, according to Washington Post research. Jennifer Roberts, a professor of economics at the University of Sheffield, says a longer commute and the added pressure of deadlines and childcare can create a difficult environment for many women.
“It was not just an issue of, ‘I have to be at my desk at 9.’ It was, ‘I have to get my kids to child care. I have to pick up the dry cleaning,’ ” Roberts said to the Post.
Women who have preschool-age children can feel even more pressure — sometimes four times as great as for men with children of the same age, Roberts said to the Post.
While there have been efforts to ease congestion on area roadways, D.C. driver still have some of the longest commute times in the country, according to the Census Bureau.
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