A new look at family migration and women’s employment status

Abstract

Family migration has a negative impact on women's employment status. Using longitudinal data from the British Household Panel Survey (3,617 women; 22,354 women/wave observations) we consider two neglected issues. First, instead of relying on the distance moved to distinguish employment-related migrations, we use information on the reason for moving, allowing us to separate employment-related moves, stimulated by the man or the woman, from other moves. Second, we consider selection effects and the role of state dependence in relation to women's employment status prior to moving. Moving for the sake of the man's job has a significant negative effect on subsequent employment status for previously employed women. Women who were not employed previously benefited only slightly from family migration.