Gender Differences in the Geographic Breadth of Job Search: Examining Job Applications

Abstract Where one lives and works is increasingly important in shaping economic opportunities. Yet, women, particularly partnered women, are less likely than men to relocate for a job, potentially serving as a key force in the production of gender labor market stratification. We examine why women’s geographic job mobility is lower than men’s, building on theoretical insights about the structural features of the labor market as well as how households make decisions. Our contribution arises from examining job applications rather than completed job moves. This enables us to examine the behavior of job seekers independent of employers’ hiring decision-making that may shape the findings in scholarship that focuses on completed job moves. We draw on an original dataset that captures detailed, prospective information on the job applications submitted by a national, probability-based sample of job seekers. Our findings indicate that even at the application stage, partnered women – but not women who have never been married – are less likely than comparable men to apply for a job requiring a move. This pattern holds even after accounting for structural features of the labor market. Theories of gendered household dynamics appear to better explain our findings for partnered individuals than theories of household economic maximization.