Determinants of Mobility in Two-Earner Families: Does the Wife's Income Count?

Abstract

2 recently emerging US mobility trends are that 1) families with employed wives are less migratory than families with nonemployed wives especially when the wifes job attachment is strong and 2) more career-oriented wives are initiating family moves with husband and children following. This study examines demographic predictors--age wifes employment status the number of children education and income--of family mobility as well as attitudinal predictors--role salience and sex role orientation. Using a national subsample of 107 employed married couples factor analysis was used to analyze data separatley by gender. For wives sex role orientation role salience and individual income influenced mobility although individual income was by far the most critical predictor. As wives income increased they influenced past and future mobility more. For husbands individual income role salience sex role orientation and wifes employment status were the variables significantly related to mobility. As husbands income and provider-parental roles increased in importance so did the likeliness that his job had the most influence on past and future moves. However husbands who were more egalitarian in their sex role preferences and who were married to women with higher job status were more likely to consider their wives job requirements in future moves. Mobility decisions in dual earner families are becoming more complex.