What makes female commuters ‘unhappy’? Harassment, fear of crime, and unsought travel behavioral adaptations in public transport against life satisfaction

Introduction

While promoting public transport is undoubtedly essential to meet current sustainability goals, numerous challenges persist among daily travelers, either remaining active or receiving limited attention. A prime example is the exposure to sexual harassment, fear, and forced travel behavioral adaptations primarily affecting women, especially daily commuters constantly exposed to these issues. Moreover, the extent to which it affects their life satisfaction remains somewhat unaddressed in the literature.

Aim

The core aim of this study was to assess the influence of sexual harassment experiences, fear of crime, and unwanted travel behavior adaptations on the life satisfaction of female commuters using public transport.

Methods

This cross-sectional study used the data provided by 720 public transport commuting women in Spanish cities, aged M = 29 years, spending about M = 74 min a day commuting. Participants responded to an electronic questionnaire addressing everyday traveling issues.

Results

The relationships among experiences of sexual harassment, fear of crime, and responsive patterns of travel behavioral change were consistently positive and significant. Moreover, behavioral adaptations were more prevalent (although not exclusively) among women ‘in touch’ with sexual harassment on the move. Furthermore, structural analyses suggest that life satisfaction rates are impaired to a great extent by harassment experiences and fear of non-sexual crime but through the full statistical mediation of the often inconvenient, undesired travel adaptations made by commuting women.

Conclusion

These outcomes support the idea that the overall life satisfaction of female daily public transport travelers may be significantly affected by negative commuting experiences and inconvenient responsive behavioral demands. At a practical level, the current study provides valuable insights into the still challenging dynamics involving sexual harassment, fear, and commuting constraints in women. On this basis, conducting contextually aware crime and fear-facing actions might help to improve their travel experiences, overall quality of life, and access to opportunities.