Mobility-Related Economic Exclusion: Accessibility and Commuting Patterns in Industrial Zones in Turkey

Abstract

Geographers have long examined the assumption that women are locally constricted and what this means for women taking up of economic opportunities. These studies have provided valuable insights into the understanding of the spatial dimension of social exclusion. However, the investigation of the role of wider economic, physical and social contexts on women's mobility and accessibility constraints has mainly concerned the countries in North America and Western Europe. Through a mixed methods study of two industrial zones in Turkey, this article looks at how women and men from different social backgrounds access the zones with the aim of identifying the specific constraints that women face in their everyday life in accessing economic opportunities. The results show that while gender seems to play a role in the choice of place of residence and the employers' perception of time use, women's socioeconomic and educational backgrounds seem to be more important predictors of their commuting patterns and access to the zones. The study confirms that gendered daily travel patterns are a useful unit of analysis for investigating unequal access to economic opportunities. It further argues that the complex nature of everyday mobilities of women should be interpreted in conjunction with the perceptions of employers on women's work spaces and time use.

Future accessibility impacts of transport policy scenarios: Equity and sensitivity to travel time thresholds for Bus Rapid Transit expansion in Rio de Janeiro

“…The conclusions of the paper remained the same when the empirical analysis was conducted disregarding the qualitative match between workers' income level and educational qualification of jobs positions. Previous studies have shown that people's ability to use public transportation and hence their accessibility levels are dependent on affordability (El-Geneidy et al, 2016), disability (Casas, 2007), age (Ryan et al, 2015) or gender (Akyelken, 2017). The accessibility analysis conducted in this study did not consider these issues due to data availability constraints and is thus likely to underestimate accessibility inequalities (Neutens et al, 2010).…”

Future accessibility impacts of transport policy scenarios: equity and sensitivity to travel time thresholds for Bus Rapid Transit expansion in Rio de Janeiro

“…The conclusions of the paper remained the same when the empirical analysis was conducted disregarding the qualitative match between workers' income level and educational qualification of jobs positions. Previous studies have shown that people's ability to use public transportation and hence their accessibility levels are dependent on affordability (El-Geneidy et al, 2016), disability (Casas, 2007), age (Ryan et al, 2015) or gender (Akyelken, 2017). The accessibility analysis conducted in this study did not consider these issues due to data availability constraints and is thus likely to underestimate accessibility inequalities (Neutens et al, 2010).…”

Distributive Justice and Transportation Equity: Inequality in accessibility in Rio de Janeiro

“…Nonetheless, different studies have shown that certain groups such as low-income families, elderly and disabled people, women and ethnic minorities often suffer disproportionately from transport disadvantages such as the lack of adequate public and private transport options and other travel difficulties related to affordability, health and safety issues (Akyelken, 2017;Lucas et al, 2016;Preston & Rajé, 2007;Sanchez et al, 2003). These disadvantages are particularly acute in low-income and marginalized areas, where poor transport combined with the lack of economic opportunities and basic services can potentially lead to spatial poverty traps and deepen socio-spatial inequalities (Cervero et al, 2002;Lucas et al, 2016;Porter, 2014).…”

“…While the idea of equity always implies a moral judgement, equality does not have to imply a normative stance if the term is used in a descriptive sense to indicate full equality or sameness (van Wee & Geurs, 2011). The studies in transportation equity generally look at differences in the levels of accessibility to opportunities or daily travel behavior patterns of various social groups as proxies to reflect different levels of well-being or how those groups are more or less integrated into society (Akyelken, 2017;Fransen et al, 2018;Vasconcellos, 2005).…”

“…For residents in grid cells above the 5th income decile, accessibility estimates only considered employment opportunities that required high or secondary education, while for grid cells below the 5th income decile only jobs that required secondary or primary education were considered. Previous studies have shown that people's ability to use public transportation and hence their accessibility levels are dependent on affordability (El-Geneidy et al, 2016), disability (Casas, 2007), age (Ryan et al, 2015) or gender (Akyelken, 2017). The accessibility analysis conducted in this study did not consider these issues due to data availability constraints and is thus likely to underestimate accessibility inequalities (Neutens et al,5.…”