Explaining Residential Clustering of Large Families

Area of Science:

• Sociology
• Demography
• Urban Studies

Background:

• Fertility behavior exhibits spatial clustering, suggesting social influences.
• Potential drivers include neighborly fertility influence and family size impacting residential choices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To empirically examine the causal mechanisms behind fertility behavior's spatial clustering.
• To investigate how having a third child affects neighbor fertility, residential mobility, and neighborhood selection.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Norwegian administrative registers (2000-2018) for ~167,000 women.
• Employed instrumental variables (IVs) – birth sex composition and twin births – to proxy for having a third child.
• Defined neighborhoods using time-varying geocoordinates to track residential changes.

Main Results:

• Selective residential moves were identified as a plausible causal factor in the spatial clustering of large families.
• Analysis explored the impact of a third child on neighbors' fertility and propensity to move.
• Investigated the likelihood of residing in family-friendly neighborhoods.

Conclusions:

• Residential relocation decisions significantly contribute to the observed spatial clustering of fertility patterns.
• Highlights the role of neighbor networks in understanding fertility and relocation dynamics.