Geographical
1. Monetary cost. Moving a family together with all its
possessions can be an expensive operation. In addition to
removal costs it might well entail the numerous expenses
involved in buying and selling a house. This latter aspect of
mobility can be a deterrent to movements into areas where
house prices are well above the national average (e.g. the
London area).
2. Housing shortages. A housing shortage has been a fea
ture of most economies since the war and this is undoubted
ly the major barrier to geographical mobility. It is a particu
larly difficult problem in the case of rented accommodation;
there is very little chance of a worker obtaining a rented house in a new area when virtually all local authorities have waiting lists for such houses.
3. Social ties. Many people are very reluctant to 'tear up
their roots'. They do not wish to leave behind their friends
and relatives and face the prospect of establishing new social
relationships in a strange town. This is probably not such an
important barrier for many professional groups where pro
motion often depends upon a movement to another town.
4. Education. Many families will tend to be immobile at
certain stages of their children's education. They would
regard it as inadvisable to move at some critical period in
their child's schooling. This could also be a barrier if differ
ent parts of the country are operating different systems of
education.
