  We analyze work commute time by sexual orientation of partnered or married
individuals, using the American Community Survey 2008-2019. Women in same-sex
couples have a longer commute to work than working women in different-sex
couples, whereas the commute to work of men in same-sex couples is shorter than
the one of working men in different-sex couples, also after controlling for
demographic characteristics, partner characteristics, location, fertility, and
marital status. These differences are particularly stark among married couples
with children: on average, about 3 minutes more one-way to work for married
mothers in same-sex couples, and almost 2 minutes less for married fathers in
same-sex couples, than their corresponding working parents in different-sex
couples. These gaps among men and women amount to 50 percent, and 100 percent,
respectively, of the gender commuting gap estimated in the literature.
Within-couple gaps in commuting time are also significantly smaller in same-sex
couples. We interpret these differences as evidence that it is
gender-conforming social norms boosted by parenthood that lead women in
different-sex couples to specialize into jobs with a shorter commute while
their male partners or spouses hold jobs with a longer commute.
