Geographic Mobility of Couples in the United States: Relocation and Commuting Trends
I propose that the rising number of dual-earner couples in the United States impacts the trend toward declining residential mobility and rising commute times. I describe these mobility trends in the United States, first relocation trends and then daily commuting trends. My research views the commute as the bridge in time and space between home and work that a) reflects couples‘ negotiation of preferences, relative job importance, barriers, and opportunities; b) has consequences for family functioning, c) reflects gender differences in the ways time and place are organized, and d) varies across the life course, by race, class, and region. I describe differences in family type and family functioning based on the commuting pattern and suggest a course of future comparative research that may improve awareness of how families and couples handle labor market demands, what structures shape the picture of couples mobility, and how nation-specific circumstances orient couples toward certain kinds of mobility and away from others.
Veröffentlicht
Hofmeister, H. (2005). Geographic Mobility of Couples in the United States: Relocation and Commuting Trends. Zeitschrift für Familienforschung Heft 2: 115-128.
