This paper examines the effects of long-distance migration on the labour-force participation of married women in the Netherlands using data from the 1977 and 1995/96 labour-force surveys. The results show that married women who migrated in the year before the interview to another province participated less in paid employment than other married women. The negative effect on the wife's employment is stronger for longer moves (crossing at least two provincial boundaries) than for shorter ones (over one provincial boundary) and was somewhat weaker in 1995/96 than in 1977. The strength of the migration effect also varies among different groups of married women. In 1995/96, women with a high educational level and women who live in the Randstad experienced less negative effects of migration. At the same time, the negative effects of migration were stronger for women with children at home and for women whose husbands held prestigious jobs.This paper analyzes the effects of long-distance migration on the labor-force participation of married women in the Netherlands by using data from the Dutch Labour-Force Surveys for the years 1977 and 1995-96. This study included married and cohabiting women aged 22-59 years. The purpose of this analysis was to gain more insight into the factors that determine whether or not these highly motivated women re-enter the labor market after the move. Results showed that married women who migrated in the year before the interview to another province had lesser participation in paid employment than other married women. Moreover, long distance migration negatively affects the labor-force participation of married women in the Netherlands. The intensity of the migration effect also differs among different groups of married women. The data from 1995-96 demonstrated that women with higher education and women who live in Randstad experienced less negative effects of migration. On the contrary, women with children at home and women whose husbands occupied higher job positions experienced stronger negative effects of migration.

Two-earner couples Employment of married women Migration Gender marriage

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