Showing papers in "The History of The Family in 2019"
TL;DR: In response to the mass globalization of the twenty-first century and associated migration, a recent boom in social-scientific research has analyzed various manifestations of "binational", interrel... as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: In response to the mass globalization of the twenty-first century and associated migration, a recent boom in social-scientific research has analyzed various manifestations of ‘binational’, interrel...
33 citations
TL;DR: In the mid-nineteenth century, marriage between members of different cultures was a key site for testing politics of difference within the multicultural German Empire as mentioned in this paper, and intermarriage was a test site for political difference in the German Empire.
Abstract: Intermarriage was a key site for testing politics of difference within the multicultural German Empire. Across the German states in the mid-nineteenth century, marriage between members of different...
26 citations
TL;DR: The role played by loan-financed public works in reducing mortality in England and Wales during the latter part of the nineteenth century is discussed in this article. But the role of public works is not discussed in this paper.
Abstract: Previous authors have drawn attention to the role played by loan-financed public works in reducing mortality in England and Wales during the latter part of the nineteenth century. These arguments h...
26 citations
TL;DR: It is concluded that any worsening of water quality in urban areas c.1800–1850 was not confined to new͛ or rapidly growing industrial or manufacturing towns; and infants probably rarely drank untreated water, so high infant or diarrhoeal mortality rates should not be read as indicators of poor water quality, in the English context.
Abstract: The malign contribution of northern industrial cities to the stagnation of national life expectancy over the period 1820-1870 forms part of one of the most long-running debates in English economic history, regarding the impact of early industrialisation on living standards. The deteriorating quality of urban water supplies often features in these arguments as the key driver of worsening mortality in this period. Here we use mortality reported from cholera in the epidemic years 1831-1832 and 1848-1849 as an indicator of the extent of sewage contamination of water in English and Welsh towns in this period. Surprisingly, the geography of reported mortality did not indicate that northern manufacturing and industrial towns were especially deficient in this respect. However, logistic regression analyses identified a number of risk factors for high cholera mortality, including location on coal-bearing strata, which was a feature of many industrial towns. Notably, however, textile-manufacturing towns, although often located in coal-rich districts, were associated with low levels of cholera mortality, and high population growth rates did not influence the risk of cholera. Reductions in cholera mortality after 1849 raise the possibility of widespread improvements in water quality after mid-century, rather earlier than is often assumed. However, in contrast to cholera, infant and diarrhoeal mortality remained high especially in northern towns until at least 1900. Several lines of evidence suggest that infants were relatively protected from waterborne diseases such as cholera and typhoid, and therefore did not benefit greatly from improvements in water quality. We conclude (1) that any worsening of water quality in urban areas c.1800-1850 was not confined to new or rapidly growing industrial or manufacturing towns; and (2) infants probably rarely drank untreated water, so high infant or diarrhoeal mortality rates should not be read as indicators of poor water quality, in the English context.
24 citations
TL;DR: A special issue of The History of the Family on sanitation and urban mortality as discussed by the authors contains papers which focus on the impact of sanitary reforms on mortality change in Australia, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, and England and Wales.
Abstract: This paper introduces a special issue of The History of the Family on sanitation and urban mortality. The special issue contains papers which focus on the impact of sanitary reforms on mortality change in Australia, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, and England and Wales. The current paper outlines the main features of the debate over the causes of mortality change and the role played by sanitary reforms in this. It then highlights some of the methodological and other challenges posed by the definition of ‘urban’ areas, the identification of relevant sanitary reforms, and the choice of dependent variables. The paper then proceeds to summarise the main features of the individual papers before drawing some conclusions for future research.
22 citations
TL;DR: The modernisation of water supply and sanitation in Swiss towns at the end of the nineteenth century contributed to a reduction in waterborne infectious diseases such as typhoid fever as mentioned in this paper, which contributed to reducing the spread of the disease.
Abstract: The modernisation of water supply and sanitation in Swiss towns at the end of the nineteenth century contributed to a reduction in waterborne infectious diseases such as typhoid fever. We analyse t...
22 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the contribution of particular causes of death to the decline of mortality in England and Wales between 1851 and 1910 was examined in a set of 588 registries.
Abstract: This paper presents a new analysis of the contribution of particular causes of death to the decline of mortality in England and Wales between 1851 and 1910. We examine deaths in a set of 588 regist...
20 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the consequences of the increasing presence of Chinese citizens in Germany since the end of the nineteenth century are discussed, and their presence also repeatedly led to marriages with Germa.
Abstract: The article deals with the consequences of the increasing presence of Chinese citizens in Germany since the end of the nineteenth century. Their presence also repeatedly led to marriages with Germa...
19 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the romantic-love hypothesis predicts that modernization caused a decrease in the importance of both ascribed and achieved social status, especially in regions that experienced more modernization, and they use data on all the marriages that took place in all the municipalities in six (of eleven) Dutch provinces between 1813 and 1922.
Abstract: Partners choose each other on the basis of many characteristics. Social status is one of them. A person’s social status can be ascribed, e.g. derived from the position of her or his parents, or achieved, e.g. derived from her or his own occupation. According to the status-attainment hypothesis, during the nineteenth century achieved status increased in importance and ascribed status decreased, especially in regions that experienced more modernization. In contrast, the romantic-love hypothesis predicts that modernization caused a decrease in the importance of both ascribed and achieved status. This paper tests these claims. We use data on all the marriages that took place in all the municipalities in six (of eleven) Dutch provinces between 1813 and 1922. These couple-level data are supplemented with municipal-level data on several dimensions of modernization. We find that men’s occupational status did indeed become more important and the occupational status of their fathers less important in the second half of the nineteenth century, when modernization accelerated. In general, modernization is positively related to partner selection based on achieved characteristics and negatively related to partner selection based on ascribed characteristics. However, especially in larger cities, some support is also found for the romantic-love hypothesis.
18 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the role of modern water infrastructure in reducing infant mortality in Finnish cities and towns in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was analyzed, and it was shown that water infrastructure played an important role in reducing the infant mortality.
Abstract: We analyse the role of modern water infrastructure in reducing infant mortality in Finnish cities and towns in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Estimates from US data suggest that...
18 citations
TL;DR: The mortality decline that started in the eighteenth century led to an unprecedented rise in life expectancy in Europe and other parts of the world as mentioned in this paper, and the Swedish mortality decline, starting in the e...
Abstract: The mortality decline that started in the eighteenth century led to an unprecedented rise in life expectancy in Europe and other parts of the world. The Swedish mortality decline, starting in the e...
TL;DR: It is concluded that increases in maternal breastfeeding were probably important in improving survival of infants from wealthier families, however changes in breastfeeding patterns were insufficient to account for the ubiquitous improvements in mortality of urban-born infants in this period.
Abstract: Anecdotal evidence indicates that high-status women in England generally did not breastfeed their children in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Metropolitan families of varied social status also often sent their children out of London for wet-nursing. However, anecdotal sources and rural burial registers also suggest that these practices declined rapidly from the mid-eighteenth century, and were replaced by a culture of maternal breastfeeding in all social classes. These changes in infant-feeding practices have been argued to explain much of the dramatic improvement in infant mortality rates in London in this period. Here we used quantitative evidence from a partial family reconstitution of the London parish of St. Martin in the Fields to test these claims. Using birth interval analysis to infer breastfeeding patterns in families by four categories of wealth, we found that birth intervals were close to the national average in pauper and poor families, but much shorter in wealthier families, in the period 1752-74. We also found evidence that many infants especially in wealthier families were missing from observation, consistent with high levels of rural wet-nursing. Both these phenomena declined between 1775 and 1812, suggesting a convergence in breastfeeding practices to the national norm. We used event history analysis, with corrections to aggregate rates for missing infants, to compare mortality rates over time and by wealth category. We found that infant mortality was initially higher in wealthier families, but declined in all groups over the period 1752-1812. We conclude that increases in maternal breastfeeding were probably important in improving survival of infants from wealthier families, however changes in breastfeeding patterns were insufficient to account for the ubiquitous improvements in mortality of urban-born infants in this period.
TL;DR: In the eighteenth century, civil and religious authorities in eighteenth-century America grew increasingly concerned over the freedom with which young people chose their marriage partners as discussed by the authors, and they were concerned about race, religious and gender.
Abstract: Civil and religious authorities in eighteenth-century America grew increasingly concerned over the freedom with which young people chose their marriage partners. Correlating racial, religious and c...
TL;DR: In this paper, the historical relationship between family and state, and the roles that the concepts of 'race' and'mixture' played, is discussed. But the focus of the paper is not on race, but on the relationship between race and family.
Abstract: This paper aims to contribute to The History of the Family by researching the historical relationship between family and state, and the roles that the concepts of 'race' and 'mixture' played. To th...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors studied how potentially conflicting forces of socioeconomic modernization and enduring language barriers influenced one of the most intimate acts of social interaction: marriage, by looking at marriage formation in communities in the province of Flemish Brabant and the Brussels Capital Region.
Abstract: In this article, we study how potentially conflicting forces of socioeconomic modernization and enduring language barriers influenced one of the most intimate acts of social interaction: marriage. In the period during which Belgium underwent social and economic modernization – often thought to have diminished barriers between social groups, increasing the likelihood of social heterogamy – linguistic barriers remained strong. The intriguing question is, what happens if socio-economic modernization coincides with persistent linguistic cleavages. We will study this by looking at marriage formation in communities in the province of (contemporary) Flemish Brabant and the Brussels Capital Region. We ask: How large were the temporal and municipal variations in homogamy by social status in the period 1821–1913? And can modernization and the existence of linguistic divisions explain these variations? We use two types of data: couple data from civil registration records in Flemish Brabant 1821–1913 (N = 333,729), and, for some analyses, context data on the municipality at the time of marriage to a shorter period, 1859–1910, and thus a lower number of marriages (N = 270,151). We find that during modernization a shift took place from homogamy on fathers’ status to homogamy on groom’s status, and we find partial support for the effect of language barriers.
TL;DR: Interracial marriage was a defining feature of interaction between local Ngāi Tahu and newcomers in southern New Zealand from the early nineteenth century as mentioned in this paper, and scholars have explored the importance of interracial marriage.
Abstract: Interracial marriage was a defining feature of interaction between local Ngāi Tahu and newcomers in southern New Zealand from the early nineteenth century. Scholarship has explored the importance o...
TL;DR: This paper explored the intersection of race, religion, and nationality in marriage by concentrating on unions between Britons and "Arabs" (those from North Africa and the Middle East) in the late 1970s.
Abstract: This essay explores the intersection of race, religion, and nationality in marriage by concentrating on unions between Britons and ‘Arabs’ (those from North Africa and the Middle East) in the late ...
TL;DR: A puzzling gap exists in the current literature concerning the triad of the endower-bride-groom and the connections between their professions, their places of residence, and the possible existence of a third spouse as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: A puzzling gap exists in the current literature concerning the triad of the endower-bride-groom and the connections between their professions, their places of residence, and the possible existence ...
TL;DR: In this article, a special issue is devoted to the theme of social homogamy, i.e. the likelihood of an individual marrying someone with the same social status, in past times.
Abstract: This special issue is devoted to the theme of social homogamy, i.e. the likelihood of an individual marrying someone with the same social status, in past times. This introduction aims to situate ea...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors analyzed social heterogamy in western and southern Finland during the early stages of industrialisation, from 1700 to 1910, by comparing the social classes of different social classes.
Abstract: This study analyses social heterogamy in western and southern Finland during the early stages of industrialisation, from 1700 to 1910. Marriage patterns are examined by comparing the social classes...
TL;DR: While historians have increasingly examined inter-racial marriage, they have so far paid scant attention to intraracial marriage as mentioned in this paper, and this article tries to fill this gap in the scholarship by examining...
Abstract: While historians have increasingly examined inter-racial marriage, they have so far paid scant attention to intraracial marriage. This article tries to fill this gap in the scholarship by examining...
TL;DR: Two corollaries of the rapid growth of Sydney, New South Wales, during the nineteenth century were degradation of the water supply and inadequate sanitation, and reform was slow to arrive as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Two corollaries of the rapid growth of Sydney, New South Wales, during the nineteenth century were degradation of the water supply and inadequate sanitation. Reform was slow to arrive: a new scheme...
TL;DR: The modernization thesis assumes decreasing relevance of an individual's family background to various aspects of modern and industrial life, which should also translate into a decrease in marital health as discussed by the authors, which can also lead to increased marital discord.
Abstract: The modernization thesis assumes decreasing relevance of an individual’s family background to various aspects of modern and industrial life, which should also translate into a decrease in marital h...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated changes in the association between women's socioeconomic status, labor market activity and fertility outcomes during the Swedish baby boom 1900-60 and reached three main con...
Abstract: By investigating changes in the association between women’s socioeconomic status, labor market activity and fertility outcomes during the Swedish baby boom 1900–60 this study reaches three main con ...
TL;DR: The colony of Sierra Leone was characterized by an unusually heterogeneous population made up of immigrants as mentioned in this paper, and the diverse population and the dynamics that led to its creation constitute a valuable c...
Abstract: The colony of Sierra Leone was characterized by an unusually heterogeneous population made up of immigrants. The diverse population and the dynamics that led to its creation constitute a valuable c...
TL;DR: In this paper, the relationship between religious difference, nationhood and secular citizenship in Turkey is explored, and it is shown that Turkey is the only country in the Middle East which applies a non-religious and un...
Abstract: This article explores the relationship between religious difference, nationhood and secular citizenship in Turkey. Turkey is the only country in the Middle East which applies a non-religious and un...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine how a state-endorsed ideal of motherhood was promoted via health material in late twentieth century Ireland and examine the ways in which women were portrayed and addressed in health material.
Abstract: This article examines how a state-endorsed ideal of motherhood was promoted via health material in late twentieth century Ireland. Examining the ways in which women were portrayed and addressed in ...
TL;DR: One of the most controversial laws promulgated by the National Party as part of South Africa's mid-twentieth century apartheid policies was the 1949 Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act.
Abstract: One of the most controversial laws promulgated by the National Party as part of South Africa’s mid-twentieth century apartheid policies was the 1949 Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act. This Act sti...