Geographies of Opportunity: A Regional Analysis of Gender-Specific Social and Spatial Mobilities in England and Wales, 1971–81

First, a regional analysis of the social mobilities of men and women nonmigrants is carried out. Second, the way in which regional context structures the options open to men and women is discussed, and, third, the fortunes of male and female interregional migrants are traced. The principal empirical results are: (1) that nonmigrant social mobilities have gender-specific spatial structures; (2) that this gender specificity is greater for upward than for downward social mobility; (3) that women are especially likely to be upwardly mobile in the South East region, and particularly so for entry into managerial posts; (4) that migrant social mobilities have gender-specific spatial structures; (5) that flows to the South East involve upward social mobilities both for men and for women but are relatively to the advantage of women's careers; and (6) that flows from the South East often involve the exit of women from the labour market, imply sideways or upward mobility for men, but are strongly to the disadvantage of women's employment careers.