The class structure of rural-to-urban migration The case of Norway

Abstract

This article discusses the rural-to-urban migration of young people in Norway from a class perspective: To what extent do youth in different social classes have distinct migration patterns? Based on data from the decennial Norwegian Censuses (1960–90) and the Norwegian Migration Register (the Generation Database), the analysis traces the migration pattern of all Norwegians born in 1965 who grew up in a rural part of the country. The theoretical point of departure is a hypothesis that young people from better-off rural families are the most likely to leave the countryside in favour of a more urban life, particularly to take-up educational opportunities. This proposition is substantiated by the empirical analysis in the article, and is explained by the tendency of inter-generational reproduction of social class status and lifestyles, which encourages members of rural upper classes to migrate to urban areas, to a greater extent than among young people in the lower social classes.