Family Migration and Female Employment: The Problem of Underemployment among Migrant Married Women.

This article examines the effects of geographic mobility on changes in underemployment among married and single women. Data for the analysis are from the young women sample of the National Longitudinal Surveys. Changes in various forms of underemployment for the 1968-1973 and 1973-1978 periods are measured with the Labor Utilization Framework of Clogg and Sullivan (1983). In general the results reinforce findings from previous studies by showing that migration contributes to labor force nonparticipation and unemployment among married women. Migration is also linked to other forms of labor force hardship including involuntary part-time employment and low pay. Contrary to expectations migration also negatively affects employment adequacy among single women. The implications of these results for family decision-making models of migration are discussed. (authors)

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