Sex, age, and family structure influence dispersal behaviour after a forced migration

ABSTRACT: Dispersal does not only mean moving from one environment to another, but can also refer to shifting from one social group to another. Individual characteristics such as sex, age and family structure might influence an individual's propensity to disperse. In this study, we use a unique dataset of an evacuated World War II Finnish population, to test how sex, age, number of siblings and birth order influence an individual's dispersal away from their own social group at a time when society was rapidly changing. We found that young women dispersed more than young men, but the difference decreased with age. This suggests that young men might benefit more from staying near a familiar social group, whereas young women could benefit more from moving elsewhere to find work or spouses. We also found

SUBMITTER: Kauppi J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10426002 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature