Special Collection 27

Separation, Divorce, and Residential Mobility in a Comparative Perspective

Published 10 July 2020

This Special Collection of Demographic Research – edited by Júlia Mikolai, Hill Kulu, and Clara H. Mulder – investigates residential relocations and housing changes following separation and divorce across industrialised countries. The Special Collection consists of six case studies (Belgium, Finland, France, Italy, Hungary, and the United Kingdom) and a cross-national study (comparing Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom). The studies use longitudinal data and a range of methods (logistic regression, event history analysis, and sequence analysis). Although the study countries have different welfare states and housing markets, the studies find many similarities in the residential and housing consequences of union dissolution. The analyses show that divorce and separation have a long-lasting impact on individuals’ residential relocations and housing conditions. This influence is gendered – women are generally worse off than men – and varies by individuals’ educational level, the presence of children and who takes care of them following separation. Studies in this Special Collection contribute to our knowledge by analysing the role of repartnering, child custody arrangements, the importance of the parental home, location continuity, gender, and country context. Furthermore, this collection contains the first analyses of the residential and housing patterns of separated women and men in Eastern and Southern Europe. To conclude, the studies in this collection show that union dissolution leads to a prolonged residential and housing instability for many individuals. This Special Collection of Demographic Research is an outcome of the International Research and Policy Symposium on Family Changes and Housing Transitions in the Life Course (University of St Andrews, 18-19 May 2017). The Special Collection received funding from the PartnerLife project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC, grant no. ES/L01663X/1).

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10 July 2020 | summary

Family life transitions, residential relocations, and housing in the life course: Current research and opportunities for future work: Introduction to the Special Collection on “Separation, Divorce, and Residential Mobility in a Comparative Perspective”

Júlia Mikolai, Hill Kulu, Clara Mulder

Volume: 43 Article ID: 2
Pages: 35–58
DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2020.43.2

17 April 2019 | research article

Housing consequences of divorce and separation in a 'super home ownership' regime: The case of Hungary

Lívia Murinkó

Volume: 40 Article ID: 34
Pages: 975–1014
DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2019.40.34

12 March 2019 | research article

Who leaves, who stays? Gendered routes out of the family home following union dissolution in Italy

Francesca Fiori

Volume: 40 Article ID: 20
Pages: 533–560
DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2019.40.20

16 July 2019 | research article

Union dissolution and housing trajectories in Britain

Júlia Mikolai, Hill Kulu

Volume: 41 Article ID: 7
Pages: 161–196
DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2019.41.7

03 October 2019 | research article

Homeownership after separation: A longitudinal analysis of Finnish register data

Marika Jalovaara, Hill Kulu

Volume: 41 Article ID: 29
Pages: 847–872
DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2019.41.29

22 February 2019 | research article

‘Will the one who keeps the children keep the house?’ Residential mobility after divorce by parenthood status and custody arrangements in France

Giulia Ferrari, Carole Bonnet, Anne Solaz

Volume: 40 Article ID: 14
Pages: 359–394
DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2019.40.14

13 February 2020 | research article

Remain, leave, or return? Mothers’ location continuity after separation in Belgium

Christine Schnor, Júlia Mikolai

Volume: 42 Article ID: 9
Pages: 245–292
DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2020.42.9

29 October 2019 | descriptive finding

Separation, divorce, and housing tenure: A cross-country comparison

Júlia Mikolai, Hill Kulu, Sergi Vidal, Roselinde van der Wiel, Clara Mulder

Volume: 41 Article ID: 39
Pages: 1131–1146
DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2019.41.39

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