Moving the Nest

Abstract

Using data from the 1992-2000 waves of the Health and Retirement Study, this article examines the relationship between the presence and age of children in the home and parental mobility in midlife. Although a substantial literature evaluates the factors affecting the timing of children leaving (and returning) home, less attention has been paid to the residential changes that parents may experience during this stage of the family life cycle. As young adults leave home, family ties that keep their parents in a place may weaken, precipitating residential change. Results indicate that parents with no children or adult children at home are more likely to move, and move further, than those with children younger than 18 at home. These findings are discussed in the context of a life course view of family migration behavior that suggests that as children age and their potential for independent living increases, parental mobility may increase.