%0 Thesis
%9 Pre-master
%A Franzky, L.M.
%D 2024
%F theses_frw:4732
%P 57
%T A queer quest for identity or life course phase specific behaviour? An explorative study into the self-reported reasons for internal migration within the Netherlands.
%U https://frw.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/4732/
%X The Netherlands is known as a country with progressive and inclusive legislation when it comes to LGBTQIA+ rights1. With the recent growth of right-wing populism and a drop on the Europe Rainbow Index, the question whether this sentiment can still be held as truth arose. In the past, queer migration has often been conflated with rural-urban migration, as it suits the general narrative of identity finding associated with coming out, which is considered easier in a more anonymous setting such as the urban theatre. Next to the queer quest for identity, Life Course Theory was applied to study internal migration of queer and non-queer individuals within the Netherlands. The main aim of this research project was to map individuals’ migration behaviour, types and reasons to do so, with a specific focus on individuals with a queer identity. A cross-sectional, survey based study was conducted, which elicited 88 valid responses (27 queer and 61 non-queer) from individuals who internally migrated within the Netherlands in the past. Queer individuals were more likely to report freedom to be oneself as a reason to move than non-queer individuals. They were also less likely to report family as a reason to move. These results were not further solidified by regression analysis. The type of migration was not significantly different between queer and non-queer individuals. Binary logistic regression analysis did show that life course phase factors play a role in individuals’ decisions to internally migrate. Age was shown to be negatively predictive of giving education opportunities as a reason for migration; being part-time employed was negatively associated with moving closer to friends and being in a relationship was strongly associated with reporting cohabiting as a reason for internal migration. In conclusion, this study suggests that being queer has no significant influence on individuals’ reasons for internal migration. However, considering the current political landscape of the Netherlands future research into the influence of sexuality and gender identity on internal migration behaviour and motivations is warranted.