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A multilevel event history analysis of the effects of grandmothers on child mortality in a historical German population (Krummhörn, Ostfriesland, 1720-1874)

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  • Jan Beise

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

  • Eckart Voland

Abstract

We analyzed data from the historic population of the Krummhörn (Ostfriesland, Germany, 1720-1874) to determine the effects of grandparents in general and grandmothers in particular on child mortality. Multilevel event-history models were used to test how the survival of grandparents in general influenced the survival of the children. Random effects were included in some models in order to take the potentially influential effect of unobserved heterogeneity into account. It could be shown that while maternal grandmothers indeed improved the child’s survival, paternal grandmothers worsened it. Both grandfathers had no effect. These findings are not only in accordance with the assumptions of the “grandmother hypothesis” but also may be interpreted as hints for differential grandparental investment strategies.

Suggested Citation

  • Jan Beise & Eckart Voland, 2002. "A multilevel event history analysis of the effects of grandmothers on child mortality in a historical German population (Krummhörn, Ostfriesland, 1720-1874)," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2002-023, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:wpaper:wp-2002-023
    DOI: 10.4054/MPIDR-WP-2002-023
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Sear, Rebecca & Steele, Fiona & McGregor, Ian A. & Mace, Ruth, 2002. "The effects of kin on child mortality in rural Gambia," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 247, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    2. Craig Packer & Marc Tatar & Anthony Collins, 1998. "Reproductive cessation in female mammals," Nature, Nature, vol. 392(6678), pages 807-811, April.
    3. Rebecca Sear & Fiona Steele & Ian McGregor & Ruth Mace, 2002. "The effects of kin on child mortality in rural gambia," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 39(1), pages 43-63, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Simon Chapman & Mirkka Danielsbacka & Antti O Tanskanen & Mirkka Lahdenperä & Jenni Pettay & Virpi Lummaa, 2023. "Grandparental co-residence and grandchild survival: the role of resource competition in a pre-industrial population," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 34(3), pages 446-456.
    2. Qiang Li, 2005. "Subjective well-being and mortality in Chinese oldest old," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2005-011, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    3. Li, Yunrong & Mora, Ricardo, 2016. "Re-assessing the Impact of the Grandparent’s Income on the Infant Mortality Rate: An Evaluation of the Old Age Allowance Program in Nepal," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 333-348.
    4. Emma Zang & Cameron Campbell, 2018. "Males’ Later-Life Mortality Consequences of Coresidence With Paternal Grandparents: Evidence From Northeast China, 1789–1909," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 55(2), pages 435-457, April.
    5. Jan Havlíček & Petr Tureček & Alice Velková, 2021. "One but not two grandmothers increased child survival in poorer families in west Bohemian population, 1708–1834," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 32(6), pages 1138-1150.
    6. Marcantonio Caltabiano, 2003. "Italian adolescents’ first romantic relationships: an explorative study," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2003-038, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    7. Samuel Lucas, 2014. "An inconvenient dataset: bias and inappropriate inference with the multilevel model," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 48(3), pages 1619-1649, May.
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    10. Krzysztof Tymicki, 2009. "The correlates of infant and childhood mortality," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 20(23), pages 559-594.

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    JEL classification:

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

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