Gender, Gender Ideology, and Couples’ Migration Decisions

Abstract

Couples generally move to accommodate men’s, rather than women’s, career opportunities. Using Swedish panel data including 1,039 married or cohabiting individuals, this study examines the importance of traditional gender ideology and behavior in explaining this pattern. Two dimensions of gender and migration are examined: (a) the willingness to move for a partner’s career and (b) the likelihood of couple migration for one’s own work or educational opportunities. Findings show that women are more willing to move for their partner’s career. Childless women are more likely to move with their partners to pursue their own work or education than childless men, whereas mothers are less likely to report this than fathers. Gender ideology and division of household responsibilities do not explain the gender differences in migration behavior. They are more important for individuals’ willingness to move for their partners, with particularly pronounced gender differences among nonegalitarian respondents.