The browser you are using is not supported by this website. All versions of Internet Explorer are no longer supported, either by us or Microsoft (read more here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/windows/end-of-ie-support).

Please use a modern browser to fully experience our website, such as the newest versions of Edge, Chrome, Firefox or Safari etc.

Martin Dribe. Photo.

Martin Dribe

Professor, Centre director, Centre for Economic Demography

Martin Dribe. Photo.

Socio-economic status and fertility decline : Insights from historical transitions in Europe and North America

Author

  • Martin Dribe
  • Marco Breschi
  • Alain Gagnon
  • Danielle Gauvreau
  • Heidi A. Hanson
  • Thomas N. Maloney
  • Stanislao Mazzoni
  • Joseph Molitoris
  • Lucia Pozzi
  • Ken R. Smith
  • Hélène Vézina
Show all

Summary, in English

The timings of historical fertility transitions in different regions are well understood by demographers, but much less is known regarding their specific features and causes. In the study reported in this paper, we used longitudinal micro-level data for five local populations in Europe and North America to analyse the relationship between socio-economic status and fertility during the fertility transition. Using comparable analytical models and class schemes for each population, we examined the changing socio-economic differences in marital fertility and related these to common theories on fertility behaviour. Our results do not provide support for the hypothesis of universally high fertility among the upper classes in pre-transitional society, but do support the idea that the upper classes acted as forerunners by reducing their fertility before other groups. Farmers and unskilled workers were the latest to start limiting their fertility. Apart from these similarities, patterns of class differences in fertility varied significantly between populations.

Department/s

  • Department of Economic History
  • eSSENCE: The e-Science Collaboration

Publishing year

2017-01-02

Language

English

Pages

3-21

Publication/Series

Population Studies

Volume

71

Issue

1

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Routledge

Topic

  • Economic History

Keywords

  • fertility transition
  • socio-economic status
  • fertility
  • longitudinal data
  • innovation
  • adjustment

Status

Published

Project

  • Landskrona Population Study

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1477-4747