Sibling Patterns in Spatial Mobility Trajectories

Alon Pertzikovitz , Centre for Demographic Studies
Sergi Vidal, Centre for Demographic Studies
Jan Saarela, Åbo Akademi University

Research has demonstrated that the location of family members is an important determinant in migration decision making. Yet so far, the role of family was mainly studied through the lens of geographic proximity and usually around a single migration event. Taking a life course perspective to internal migration, this study focusses on siblings—who share backgrounds and influence each other (re)location decisions—to ask whether their internal migration trajectories align, when alignment is strongest, and how much shared family conditions account for it. Using Finnish population registers (1987–2023), we follow all individuals who turned 18 in 1988–1998 (N=550,941) from ages 18–43. To compare individual migration paths, we read each life course as an ordered trajectory of yearly distances from anchor (municipality at age-17) and use sequence analysis to capture how closely two trajectories align in the timing, duration, and ordering of moves. First, we assess whether a sibling dyad is more similar than a random unrelated dyad. We then examine how similarity varies with sibship composition, parental resources, and shared early-life contexts, and assess whether these factors account for the difference between sibling and unrelated dyads. Preliminary evidence shows siblings’ paths are significantly more alike than those of unrelated dyads, indicating that internal migration over adulthood is patterned by shared familial context and mutual influence. By applying a linked-lives perspective to migration, this study contributes to the literature by demonstrating how migration is a relational process that is influenced by the broader family context.

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 Presented in Session 82. Linked lives: Sibling Contexts and the Life Course