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”

Abstract

BACKGROUND This article provides an introduction to the Special Collection on Separation, Divorce, and Residential Mobility in a Comparative Perspective. The Special Collection consists of six European 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. All studies focus on residential relocations or housing outcomes following separation. RESULTS 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, whether they have children, and who cares for the children following union dissolution. CONCLUSIONS Although the study countries are different regarding their welfare systems and housing markets, papers in the Special Collection report striking similarities in the housing and residential consequences of union dissolution across countries. Separation leads to a prolonged residential and housing instability for many individuals. CONTRIBUTION The studies contribute to the literature by focusing on the role of repartnering, child custody arrangements, the parental home, location continuity, country context, and gender for postseparation residential patterns and trajectories. Furthermore, this Special Collection contains the first analyses of the residential and housing patterns of separated men and women in Eastern and Southern Europe.