Dual-earner couples, in which both partners work, are generally less likely to move over long distances than male-breadwinner couples, in which only the man works. This is often explained with the difficulties to find two adequate jobs after a move. If women’s employment is less supported in a country, this difference in the likelihood to move may be smaller, because couples may be more likely to move even if women are initially without a new job.

Sergi Vidal and Francisco Perales from Queensland University, Philipp Lersch from the ISS and Maria Brandén from Stockholm University examined this expectation in a recently published study. For their analysis, they harmonized four nationally representative datasets from Australia, Britain, Germany and Sweden. Sweden is one of the countries in the world with the strongest support for women’s employment, while the other three countries support women’s employment much less.

The authors found that dual-earner couples move less often than male-breadwinner couples in Britain, Germany and Sweden, but not in Australia. If couples have children, a situation in which women often reduce their employment intensity compared to their male partners, dual-earner couples move as often as male-breadwinner couples in Australia, Britain and Germany. Swedish dual-earner couples with children remain less likely to move compared to male-breadwinner couples. These findings are in line with the expectation that more gender-equal contexts may deter moves of dual-earner couples.

The authors also found that dual-earner and male-breadwinner couples with a man working in a managerial or professional occupation are relatively more likely to move in Germany. The importance of the male partner’s occupation additionally reflects the rather traditional German context in which men’s employment is prioritized.