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Mothers and students’mobility

Author

Listed:
  • Agnese Sechi

    (University of Genoa, IT)

  • Skerdilajda Zanaj

    (DEM, Université du Luxembourg, L)

  • Gabriele Lombardi

    (University of Florence, IT)

Abstract

This paper examines how female leadership in the household influences offspring’s key life decisions, with a particular focus on student mobility. Using Italian data from 2014 to 2020, we perform both individual-level and regional gravity analyses. The individual-level analysis focuses on the decision to study in another region, while the gravity analysis explores bilateral student flows between pairs of Italian regions. Female headship is used as a proxy for the mother’s bargaining power within the household, with headship assigned to the parent with the highest income. Our findings reveal that when mothers hold greater decision-making power as heads of the household, students are less likely to move away for higher education. This ‘mother-hen’ effect applies to both sons and daughters and appears to be driven by strong family ties, rather than traditional gender roles, risk aversion, or parental preferences regarding their children’s independence.

Suggested Citation

  • Agnese Sechi & Skerdilajda Zanaj & Gabriele Lombardi, 2024. "Mothers and students’mobility," DEM Discussion Paper Series 24-08, Department of Economics at the University of Luxembourg.
    • Handle: RePEc:luc:wpaper:24-08
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    File URL: https://orbilu.uni.lu/handle/10993/62022
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    female headship; student mobility; university education; family ties.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • R2 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis
    • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior

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