Unveiling her perspective: Exploring women's multi-local living arrangements in German cities

Abstract

Multi-local lifestyles are increasingly shaping current living realities. Earlier German studies identified (work-related) multi-locality as a “male phenomenon” influenced by traditional gender relations. Women, especially during the family phase, are less likely to choose multi-local arrangements, while multi-local women are often childless. As tendencies towards individualization and pluralization have increased in the last years, coupled with the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the question is whether (and to what extent) differences between men and woman in multi-local lifestyles persist. Using a representative survey and qualitative interviews with multi-local residents in Frankfurt am Main and Leipzig, the study investigates the quantitative dimension of multi-locality, as well as differences in how this lifestyle is perceived. In this paper, we contribute to a better understanding of the specific multi-local living realities of women and men, as well as the differences in how they are realized and perceived.