The family context and residential choice: A

challenge for new research

Clara H. Mulder

University of Amsterdam / AMIDSt

AimPresenting a research agenda

Includes a concrete five-year programme carried out together with Francesca Michielin, Annika Smits, Aslan Zorlu and Marjolein Blaauboer

Funding: Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO)

DefinitionsMigration:

Long-distance changes of residence involving a change in daily activity space (internal; international)

DefinitionsResidential choice:

‘Choice’ of (or: behaviour with respect to) location and housing quality (including housing tenure)

DefinitionsFamily context:

Relations with family, both inside and outside the household (residential locations / geographical distance, contact, support)

Aim of the researchInvestigating the influence of the family context on migration and residential choice of households and the feedback of these choices to (ethnic) segregation

Why important in western countries

Family still paramount- Inter-generational transfers (increase?)- Non-western immigrants- Growing fluidity of nuclear families and households

Why neglected so farFirst things first: other innovations in migration / residential choice research- Life-course approach, hazard analysis- Family migration (focus: nuclear family)- Inclusion of the macro context

Data requirements are huge

Research challenges

- Family context and housing quality- Family context and residential location- Family attitudes and residential location- Family context and segregation

Family context andhousing quality

- Previous research: inter-generational transmission of home-ownership- New: extension to: What are the mechanisms Does home-ownership run in families Does housing quality run in families

Family context and residential location

- Previous research: scarce; some British and North American work on (changes in) distances between parents and children- New: extension to: Children moving towards parents Other family members; family networks Role of the family in residential inertia

Family attitudes and residential location

- Previous research: location & attitudes towards (nuclear) family versus work- New: extension to: Longitudinal approach (what comes first) Location/relocation & attitudes/norms towards family

Family context andsegregation

- Previous research: role of co-ethnics in location choice of immigrants upon arrival- New: extension to: Role of family in … (see above) Role of family in subsequent relocations Feedback to segregation

Theory

The family as a keep factor / trigger for moving- Family solidarity (obligation; actual support)- Location-specific capital

Theory

The family as a source of resources- Inter-generational transfers- Transmission of socioeconomic status

Theory

The family as a socialization agent- Preference for at least the same quality of life (compare Easterlin)- Familiarity with location / type of location- Deliberate propagation by parents (e.g. of homeownership)

TheoryProximity to family as a by-product- Housing careers start from parental home- Inertia / principle of least effort; moves tend to be short-distance- Determinants of migration are also determinants of long distance- Degree of urbanization: city dwellers are more likely to have moved

Data requirementsData should:

- Include locations (not just distance!) and relocations of family members plus background characteristics- Include as many observations as possible (rare events; family context = just one determinant among many, among which some are likely more important) - Preferably be longitudinal

Data availabilitySample surveys:

- France: Enquete Biographies et Entourage (Event Histories and Contact Circle)- Netherlands Kinship Panel Study (Wave 1 available; Wave 2 to be collected from September 2006)

Data availabilityRegister data:- Sweden, Denmark, Norway (on-site analysis of whole population possible)- Finland (off-site analysis of 10% sample)- Netherlands: Social-Statistical Database (on-site, whole population). Brand-new! Parent-child links are now available

ResultsMainly:

???

ResultsInter-generational transmission of home-ownership: as much caused by similarity in housing-market characteristics as by direct transfers (NKPS; Helderman & Mulder, forthcoming in Urban Studies)

ResultsDistance to family members associated with level of education (+), age (+), degree of urbanization (+), being foreign born (-, at least within the Netherlands) (NKPS; Mulder & Kalmijn)

Results… and also with being an only child (-), siblings close to parents (-), having left home early (+), early labour market entry (-), early home-ownership (-), gifts from parents (-) (NKPS; Michielin & Mulder, in progress)

ResultsOlder people do seem to move towards their children, particularly if they have grandchildren (not so much if they are older; living alone; have health problems) (NKPS; Van Diepen & Mulder, submitted to Tijdschrift voor Sociologie)

ResultsYounger and middle aged: no significant difference between moving away and moving towards family… Possibly sample size problem (NKPS). To be continued with Social Statistical Database (Michielin)

Conclusion

Conclusion

More work to be done…