Walking Women: Exploring gender differences in perceived physical exertion of walking short-distance trips in Malta

Gendered travel behaviour differences when using active travel modes are a key line of research. This is particularly important in the context of different geographic realities and cities to support policy-relevant research that discourages private motorized vehicle use. There is a need to focus on the urban contexts where there is the opportunity to reduce car use for short, walkable distances. In this study, such mobility behaviour is researched within the context of the car-dependent, Euro-Mediterranean Island of Malta. A web-based survey was distributed in Malta's principal urban area (n = 855) to examine potential gender differences in people's modal choices, their perceived exertion of a short-distance walking trip, and the threshold distance for walking. The findings show an overall significantly higher frequency of car use in comparison to walking, but only slight gender differences. There were no significant gender differences between the perceived exertion scores for walking a short-distance trip and for reported distance thresholds for walking, Respondents were willing to walk an average of 17 min or 1.3 km even if they have a car available for the same trip. The research reveals significant correlations between the walking and car use frequencies, perceived exertion, and distance thresholds of the respondents and these are discussed with policy-relevant suggestions for reducing reliance on motorized vehicle use and encouraging active travel.