Location, vocation, location? Spatial entrapment among women in dual career households

This paper explores spatial entrapment among women. The analysis contributes to the debate concerning the spatial entrapment thesis, advancing research through application of a mixed method empirical approach, and focus on dual career households in the UK. Data from the UKLabour Force Survey Household Data-Set is combined with a recent case study of Greater Nottingham, England. The empirical findings are indicative of relative equality between career men and women in hours worked for an employer, particularly in professional occupations. But, while a level of equality is present in many workplaces, gender inequity within the home persists. Women, on average, work closer to their place of residence. School age dependent children present a particular constraint. Women are spatially entrapped by household responsibilities, with potentially severe career implications. Redressing this inequity within the household, however, represents a major challenge for future policy.