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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