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Social and Economic Determinants of Reproductive Behavior Before the Fertility Decline. The Case of Six Italian Communities During the Nineteenth Century

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  • Marco Breschi
  • Alessio Fornasin
  • Matteo Manfredini
  • Lucia Pozzi
  • Rosella Rettaroli
  • Francesco Scalone

Abstract

In recent decades, main demographic historical research assessed the importance of bio-demographic components in human reproduction, before the diffusion of birth control and contraceptive techniques. According to this dominant view, before fertility decline, marital fertility was mainly regulated by biological and physiological factors and socio-economic factors played only a limited and indirect role. In order to demonstrate the importance of non-biological components, the present study focuses on six pre-transitional communities situated in different geographic areas of Italy. The work aims to demonstrate how fertility levels could significantly be affected by social and economic factors even in natural fertility populations, before the diffusion of contraceptives. Micro-level data are collected from several historical sources, and discrete-time event history models are applied to female reproductive careers in order to estimate effects of socio-economic status, household structure, and price fluctuations on marital fertility, controlling for several bio-demographic factors. Despite clear differences in geographic localization and environment, marital reproductive behavior appeared to be significantly and constantly affected by socio-economic status, household composition, and price levels in all the investigated communities. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014

Suggested Citation

  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:eurpop:v:30:y:2014:i:3:p:291-315
    DOI: 10.1007/s10680-013-9303-8
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    Cited by:

    1. Giuliana Freschi & Marco Martinez, 2023. "Intergenerational mobility in 19th-century Italy: A case study approach," LEM Papers Series 2023/27, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.
    2. Dolejš Martin & Forejt Michal, 2019. "Franziscean cadastre in landscape structure research: a systematic review," Quaestiones Geographicae, Sciendo, vol. 38(1), pages 131-144, March.
    3. Francesco Scalone & Alessandra Samoggia, 2018. "Neonatal mortality, cold weather, and socioeconomic status in two northern Italian rural parishes, 1820–1900," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 39(18), pages 525-560.
    4. Breschi, M. & Fornasin, A. & Gonano, G. & Mazzoni, S. & Manfredini, M., 2020. "Male fertility between biology and the socioeconomic context news from the past (Alghero, 1866–1935)," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 37(C).
    5. Rueda, Valeria & A'Hearn, Brian, 2020. "Internal Borders and Population Geography in the Unification of Italy," CEPR Discussion Papers 14604, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.

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