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Fertility in South Dublin a century ago : first look

Author

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  • Cormac Ó Gráda
  • Timothy Guinnane
  • Carolyn M. (Carolyn Marie) Moehling

Abstract

Ireland’s relatively late and feeble fertility transition remains poorly-understood. The leading explanations stress the role of Catholicism and a conservative social ethos. Previous studies rely on evidence that is not sufficient to support firm conclusions. This paper reports the first results from a project that uses new samples from the 1911 census of Ireland to study fertility in Dublin and Belfast. Our larger project aims to use the extensive literature on the fertility transition elsewhere in Europe to refine and test leading hypotheses in their Irish context. The present paper uses a sample from the Dublin suburb of Pembroke to take a first look at the questions, data, and methods. This sample is much larger than those used in previous studies of Irish fertility, and is the first from an urban area. We find considerable support for the role of religion, networks, and other factors stressed in the literature on the fertility transition, but the data also show a role for the social-class effects downplayed in recent discussions.

Suggested Citation

  • Cormac Ó Gráda & Timothy Guinnane & Carolyn M. (Carolyn Marie) Moehling, 2001. "Fertility in South Dublin a century ago : first look," Working Papers 200126, School of Economics, University College Dublin.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucn:wpaper:200126
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10197/503
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    1. Patricia Watterson, 1988. "Infant mortality by Father’s occupation from the 1911 Census of England and Wales," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 25(2), pages 289-306, May.
    2. Timothy Guinnane & Barbara Okun & James Trussell, 1994. "What do we know about the timing of fertility transitions in europe?," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 31(1), pages 1-20, February.
    3. Brendan M. Walsh, 1970. "Marriage Rates and Population Pressure: Ireland, 1871 and 1911," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 23(1), pages 148-162, April.
    4. O Grada, Cormac & Duffy, Niall, 1995. "Fertility Control Early in Marriage in Ireland a Century Ago," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 8(4), pages 423-431, November.
    5. Haines, Michael R., 1985. "Inequality and Childhood Mortality: a Comparison of England and Wales, 1911, and the United States, 1900," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 45(4), pages 885-912, December.
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    1. Guinnane, Timothy W. & Moehling, Carolyn M. & O Grada, Cormac, 2006. "The fertility of the Irish in the United States in 1910," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 43(3), pages 465-485, July.
    2. Cormac Ó Gráda, 2002. "Infant and child mortality in Dublin a century ago," Working Papers 200228, School of Economics, University College Dublin.
    3. Guinnane, Timothy W. & Moehling, Carolyn M. & Grada, Cormac O, 2002. "The Fertility of the Irish in America in 1910," Center Discussion Papers 28386, Yale University, Economic Growth Center.
    4. Guinnane Timothy W., 2006. "Der europäische Geburtenrückgang: Überblick, Erklärungen und Stand der Forschung," Jahrbuch für Wirtschaftsgeschichte / Economic History Yearbook, De Gruyter, vol. 47(2), pages 249-273, December.
    5. Melvyn Weeks & Sriya Iyer, 2004. "Multiple social interactions and reproductive externalities: An investigation of fertility behaviour in Kenya," Econometric Society 2004 Latin American Meetings 143, Econometric Society.
    6. Connor, Dylan, 2021. "In the name of the father? Fertility, religion and child naming in the demographic transition," SocArXiv jndqu, Center for Open Science.

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    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • N3 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy

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