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On the Road: Marriage and Mobility in Malaysia

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  • James P. Smith
  • Duncan Thomas

Abstract

Migration choices of husbands and wives in a dynamic and developing country are studied in the context of an economic model of the household. Data are drawn from the second wave of the Malaysia Family Life Survey. Exploiting the retrospective histories, we compare moves that take place before marriage with those made during the marriage; among the latter, moves that are made with the spouse are distinguished from those made alone. The evidence indicates that male mobility is primarily economic in motivation and related to labor market factors. Moves by women, however, seem to be more closely related to fertility or family considerations. Migration is apparently not simply an individual decision; the attributes of the spouse are an important influence on mobility, albeit in an asymmetric manner. Moving toward a broader definition of the household, we find the characteristics of the parents, parents-in-law, and also the (relative) age and gender of siblings all influence mobility in a rich, if complex, way.

Suggested Citation

  • James P. Smith & Duncan Thomas, 1998. "On the Road: Marriage and Mobility in Malaysia," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 33(4), pages 805-832.
    • Handle: RePEc:uwp:jhriss:v:33:y:1998:i:4:p:805-832
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    Cited by:

    1. David SAHN & Catalina HERRERA, 2013. "Determinants of Internal Migration among Senegalese Youth," Working Papers 201308, CERDI.
    2. So Yoon Ahn, 2021. "Matching across Markets: An Economic Analysis of Cross-Border Marriage," Working Papers 2021-047, Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Working Group.
    3. Nelly Elmallakh & Quentin Wodon, 2025. "Climate Shocks, Migration, and Labor Markets: A Gender Analysis from West Africa," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 61(9), pages 1443-1477, September.
    4. LaFave, Daniel & Thomas, Duncan, 2017. "Extended families and child well-being," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 52-65.
    5. Holly E. Reed & Catherine S. Andrzejewski & Michael J. White, 2010. "Men’s and women’s migration in coastal Ghana," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 22(25), pages 771-812.
    6. Nizam Khan & Andrew D. Foster, 1994. "Equilibrating the Marriage Market in a Rapidly Growing Population: Evidence from Rural Bangladesh," Home Pages _080, University of Pennsylvania.
    7. Molina Millán, Teresa & Macours, Karen & Maluccio, John A. & Tejerina, Luis, 2020. "Experimental long-term effects of early-childhood and school-age exposure to a conditional cash transfer program," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    8. Meinzen-Dick, Ruth S. & Brown, Lynn R. & Feldstein, Hilary Sims & Quisumbing, Agnes R., 1997. "Gender, property rights, and natural resources," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 25(8), pages 1303-1315, August.
    9. Quisumbing, Agnes R. Author_Email: & McNiven, Scott Author_Email:, 2007. "Migration and the Rural-Urban Continuum: Evidence from Bukidnon, Philippines," Philippine Journal of Development, Philippine Institute for Development Studies.
    10. repec:phd:pjdevt:pjd_2006_vol._xxxiii_nos._1and2-a is not listed on IDEAS
    11. Quisumbing, Agnes R. & McNiven, Scott, 2005. "Migration and the Rural-Urban Continuum: Evidence from the Rural Philippines," FCND Discussion Papers 59599, CGIAR, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    12. Shelley Clark & Cassandra Cotton, 2013. "Transitions to adulthood in urban Kenya," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 28(37), pages 1053-1092.
    13. Herrera-Almanza, Catalina & Sahn, David E., 2020. "Childhood Determinants of Internal Youth Migration in Senegal," IZA Discussion Papers 12988, IZA Network @ LISER.
    14. Catalina Herrera Almanza & David Sahn, 2020. "Childhood determinants of internal youth migration in Senegal," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 43(45), pages 1335-1366.
    15. Duncan Thomas & Elizabeth Frankenberg & James P. Smith, 2001. "Lost but Not Forgotten: Attrition and Follow-up in the Indonesia Family Life Survey," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 36(3), pages 556-592.
    16. Nicolas Bonneton & Christopher Sandmann, 2023. "Non-Stationary Search and Assortative Matching," CRC TR 224 Discussion Paper Series crctr224_2023_465, University of Bonn and University of Mannheim, Germany.
    17. Quisumbing, Agnes R. & McNiven, Scott, 2005. "Migration and the rural-urban continuum: evidence from the rural Philippines," FCND discussion papers 197, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    18. Gautier, Pieter A. & Svarer, Michael & Teulings, Coen N., 2010. "Marriage and the city: Search frictions and sorting of singles," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(2), pages 206-218, March.

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