Embodied mobility: Gendered self-perceptions and the transition from driving in later life

Older adults tend to avoid driving in situations like heavy traffic or bad weather, but women do so more than men. Explanations for this gender difference, however, have received limited research attention. We examined four potential explanations for women's greater self-regulated driving: their worse health, more frequent rides from others, weaker driving identity, and more negative assessments of their driving ability.

We used data from a survey of Floridians aged 50 and older that was conducted between December 2020 and April 2021 (n = 3,691). Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression was used to examine explanations for the gender difference in self-regulated driving behaviors. We also ran regression models to test that gender was associated in the expected direction with each hypothesized mediator.

The results of OLS regression models revealed support for one of the explanations-self-rated driving ability. Women's more negative assessments of their driving ability accounted for nearly a third of their greater self-regulated driving.

Our study identifies women's more negative assessments of their abilities as a primary determinant of their more rapid transition from driving. Supporting older adults' transportation mobility may involve not only addressing gendered patterns of self-evaluation but also expanding access to skill-building opportunities and non-driving transportation options that reduce reliance on personal vehicles.