Urban women, rural men : An investigation into the sex ratios in Norwegian municipalities and their determinants.

Abstract

This thesis investigates the causes of the relatively high numbers of women in urban areas in Norway compared to rural areas. Edlund (2005) explains this pattern for Swedish municipalities with a model predicting that unskilled women migrate to urban areas in response to the presence of wealthier men, despite lower probabilities of marriage. The theory supporting the model is investigated and found to be justified. Edlund's empirical analysis is replicated on Norwegian municipal data for the ages 25 to 44. The analysis yields a negative effect on the sex ratio from men's earnings, especially in the age group 35 to 44 years. Transactions within marriage, explaining negative effect on the gender ratio from men's earnings in the model, are supported byfinding women's lower marriage rates in municipalities with low male earnings.