Internal Mobility over the Life Course. Life History Data from European Countries in a Transversal and Cohort Perspective.

Frank Heins , Irpps-CNR
Corrado Bonifazi, IRPPS.CNR, Rome

Changes of residence are events of the life course closely linked to other life events of individuals and families. The reconstruction of the complete history of the residences of an individual is a complex undertaking and only few data sources allow for an international comparison of territorial mobility. The information provided through the life history interviews of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) and the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) allows filling these two gaps. These surveys offer the opportunity to clarify various aspects - demographic, social and economic - of territorial mobility independently of administrative criteria. The contribution examines the potential of these data sources and the ways to analyse the available information from a period and a cohort perspective. The international comparison of the processes of changes in residence takes into account the cohorts, the calendar years and the demographic information regarding the individuals. The analysis of the factors associated with geographic mobility is extended to the socio-demographic situation of the individuals and the major events over the life course (the formation and dissolution of the couple, the birth of a child, as well as events linked to education and employment). The event living together or marriage is the one associated more closely with a change of residence, followed by the birth of a child. A period analysis reveals the role played by historic events to explain international differences in the intensity of geographic mobility.

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 Presented in Session 64. Flash Session: International and Internal Mobility