IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/dem/wpaper/wp-2016-009.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Spatial and social distance in the fertility transition: Sweden 1880-1900

Author

Listed:
  • Sebastian Klüsener

    (Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany)

  • Martin Dribe
  • Francesco Scalone

Abstract

Most existing studies on the fertility transition focus either on macro-level trends or on micro-level patterns with limited geographic scope. Much less attention has been given to the interplay between individual characteristics and contextual conditions, including geographic location. This paper contributes to closing this research gap. We investigate the relevance of geography and socioeconomic status (SES) for understanding fertility variation in the initial phase of the fertility decline in Sweden. Spatially-sensitive multi-level analyses are applied to study fertility trends by SES and parish, using full-count individual-level census data for 1880, 1890, and 1900. Our results show that the elite not only constituted the vanguard group in the fertility decline, but that the shift in fertility behavior occurred quickly among this social class in virtually all parts of Sweden. Other social classes experienced the decline with some delay in both central and peripheral areas, and their patterns of decline were more clustered in and around the early centers of the decline compared to the pattern of the elite. Long-distance migrants, who were disproportionately represented among the elite and who initially had higher fertility, were among the pioneers in the process. This suggests that factors such as social connectedness through space and local social embeddedness were important in determining the early adoption of changes in fertility behavior. Our results confirm the view that social status and social class boundaries were of considerable relevance in structuring the fertility transition. The importance of space for understanding variation in the fertility decline seems to be negatively correlated with social status, with the pattern of decline among the elite showing the lowest degree of spatial variation.

Suggested Citation

  • Sebastian Klüsener & Martin Dribe & Francesco Scalone, 2016. "Spatial and social distance in the fertility transition: Sweden 1880-1900," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2016-009, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:wpaper:wp-2016-009
    DOI: 10.4054/MPIDR-WP-2016-009
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.demogr.mpg.de/papers/working/wp-2016-009.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.4054/MPIDR-WP-2016-009?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Timothy W. Guinnane, 2011. "The Historical Fertility Transition: A Guide for Economists," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 49(3), pages 589-614, September.
    2. R. Lesthaeghe & K. Neels, 2002. "From the First to the Second Demographic Transition: An Interpretation of the Spatial Continuity of Demographic Innovation in France, Belgium and Switzerland," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 18(4), pages 325-360, December.
    3. Paul David & Warren Sanderson, 1986. "Rudimentary Contraceptive Methods and the American Transition to Marital Fertility Control, 1855-1915," NBER Chapters, in: Long-Term Factors in American Economic Growth, pages 307-390, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Schultz, T. Paul, 2001. "The Fertility Transition: Economic Explanations," Center Discussion Papers 28471, Yale University, Economic Growth Center.
    5. Gregory Clark, 2015. "The Son Also Rises: Surnames and the History of Social Mobility," Economics Books, Princeton University Press, edition 1, number 10181-2.
    6. David Sven Reher & Alberto Sanz‐Gimeno, 2007. "Rethinking Historical Reproductive Change: Insights from Longitudinal Data for a Spanish Town," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 33(4), pages 703-727, December.
    7. Tommy Bengtsson & Martin Dribe, 2014. "The historical fertility transition at the micro level," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 30(17), pages 493-534.
    8. Carl Schmertmann & Joseph Potter & Suzana Cavenaghi, 2008. "Exploratory Analysis of Spatial Patterns in Brazil’s Fertility Transition," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 27(1), pages 1-15, February.
    9. Joseph Molitoris & Martin Dribe, 2016. "Ready to stop: socioeconomic status and the fertility transition in Stockholm, 1878–1926," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 69(2), pages 679-704, May.
    10. Joshua R. Goldstein & Sebastian Klüsener, 2014. "Spatial Analysis of the Causes of Fertility Decline in Prussia," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 40(3), pages 497-525, September.
    11. Tommy Bengtsson & Martin Dribe, 2006. "Deliberate control in a natural fertility population: Southern Sweden, 1766–1864," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 43(4), pages 727-746, November.
    12. Tim Dyson, 2011. "The Role of the Demographic Transition in the Process of Urbanization," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 37(Supplemen), pages 34-54, January.
    13. Sandra González-Bailón & Tommy E. Murphy, 2013. "The effects of social interactions on fertility decline in nineteenth-century France: An agent-based simulation experiment," Population Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 67(2), pages 135-155, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sebastian Klüsener & Martin Dribe & Francesco Scalone, 2019. "Spatial and Social Distance at the Onset of the Fertility Transition: Sweden, 1880–1900," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 56(1), pages 169-199, February.
    2. Jeanne Cilliers & Martine Mariotti, 2019. "The shaping of a settler fertility transition: eighteenth- and nineteenth-century South African demographic history reconsidered," European Review of Economic History, European Historical Economics Society, vol. 23(4), pages 421-445.
    3. David Sven Reher & Glenn Sandström & Alberto Sanz-Gimeno & Frans W. A. van Poppel, 2017. "Agency in Fertility Decisions in Western Europe During the Demographic Transition: A Comparative Perspective," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 54(1), pages 3-22, February.
    4. Guillaume Daudin & Raphaël Franck & Hillel Rapoport, 2019. "Can Internal Migration Foster the Convergence in Regional Fertility Rates? Evidence from 19th Century France," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 129(620), pages 1618-1692.
    5. Aliaksandr Amialchuk & Elitsa Dimitrova, 2012. "Detecting the Evolution of Deliberate Fertility Control before the Demographic Transition in Germany," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 27(19), pages 507-542.
    6. Brian Beach & W. Walker Hanlon, 2019. "Censorship, Family Planning, and the Historical Fertility Transition," NBER Working Papers 25752, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Alam, Shamma Adeeb & Pörtner, Claus C., 2018. "Income shocks, contraceptive use, and timing of fertility," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 96-103.
    8. Edoardo Redivo & Martin Dribe & Francesco Scalone, 2024. "Social-class differences in spacing and stopping during the historical fertility transition: Insights from cure models," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 51(40), pages 1257-1298.
    9. Martin Dribe & Francesco Scalone, 2014. "Social class and net fertility before, during, and after the demographic transition: A micro-level analysis of Sweden 1880-1970," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 30(15), pages 429-464.
    10. Sascha Becker & Francesco Cinnirella & Ludger Woessmann, 2010. "The trade-off between fertility and education: evidence from before the demographic transition," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 15(3), pages 177-204, September.
    11. Luciana Quaranta, 2011. "Agency of Change: Fertility and Seasonal Migration in a Nineteenth Century Alpine Community [Les agents du changement: fécondité et migration saisonnière dans une communauté des Alpes au 19e siècle," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 27(4), pages 457-485, November.
    12. Martin Dribe & Francesco Scalone, 2010. "Detecting Deliberate Fertility Control in Pre-transitional Populations: Evidence from six German villages, 1766–1863 [Mise en évidence d’un contrôle volontaire des naissances dans des populations p," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 26(4), pages 411-434, November.
    13. Gregory Clark & Neil Cummins & Matthew Curtis, 2020. "Twins Support the Absence of Parity-Dependent Fertility Control in Pretransition Populations," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 57(4), pages 1571-1595, August.
    14. Tommy Bengtsson & Martin Dribe, 2014. "The historical fertility transition at the micro level," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 30(17), pages 493-534.
    15. Francisco J. Marco-Gracia & Francisco J. Beltrán Tapia & Víctor A. Luque de Haro, 2023. "Life and Death under Son Preference: Economic stress, Fertility and Early-life Mortality in Rural Spain,1800-1910," Working Papers 0240, European Historical Economics Society (EHES).
    16. Sebastian Klüsener, 2015. "Spatial variation in non-marital fertility across Europe: recent trends, past path dependencies, and potential future pathways," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2015-001, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    17. Mahesh Karra & Joshua Wilde, 2024. "Economic Foundations of Contraceptive Transitions: Theories and a Review of the Evidence," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 50(S2), pages 539-569, December.
    18. Youssouf Merouani & Faustine Perrin, 2022. "Gender and the long-run development process. A survey of the literature [Rethinking age heaping: A cautionary tale from nineteenth-century Italy]," European Review of Economic History, European Historical Economics Society, vol. 26(4), pages 612-641.
    19. Boberg-Fazlic, Nina & Ivets, Maryna & Karlsson, Martin & Nilsson, Therese, 2017. "Disease and Fertility: Evidence from the 1918 Influenza Pandemic in Sweden," Working Paper Series 1179, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    20. Marco Breschi & Alessio Fornasin & Matteo Manfredini & Lucia Pozzi & Rosella Rettaroli & Francesco Scalone, 2014. "Social and Economic Determinants of Reproductive Behavior Before the Fertility Decline. The Case of Six Italian Communities During the Nineteenth Century," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 30(3), pages 291-315, August.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Sweden; fertility decline; geography; social classes; spatial analysis;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:dem:wpaper:wp-2016-009. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Peter Wilhelm (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.demogr.mpg.de/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.