Choices and constraints in the migration of families: The central Netherlands, 1850–1940

Abstract

This article is based on the migration trajectories of several hundreds of families from the centrally located province of Utrecht (the Netherlands) in the period between 1850 and 1940. How were timing and frequencies of moves and their distances related to the circumstances and needs of the families involved? Family migrations in this area can best be understood as short-term adaptations rather than as strategies for future improvement. The frequent local moves that were observed were mostly related to employment or access to (rented) land. Families moved often in the early stage of their formation when family income depended on the male. Slightly more favorable working conditions elsewhere would prompt a migration. However, the frequent return moves, particularly by the laborers, suggests that they were often disappointed. In a later stage of the family cycle, the tendency to migrate diminished because of the ties working children created. In higher social groups, a number of “career migrants,” such as ...