Age Differences between Spouses across the Life Course in Early Modern Kyoto, 1843-1868

Mary Louise P. Nagata, EHESS/CRH

This study uses the individual faith surveys compiled annually by 30 Kyoto neighbourhoods to analyse age differences between spouses and how these differences changed over time. The surveys were compiled between the years 1842 and 1869 and change over time is considered by decade, and by the age groups of the spouses. Both men and women have been observed with spouses around the same age and spouses that are much older or younger than themselves. Sometimes the wife is older and sometimes the husband is older. In this era of high mortality, men and women may choose to re-marry with a younger spouse or a spouse close in age. Previous analyses with a smaller data set revealed an average difference of four years among marriages that included wives 20 years older and grooms 20 years older. This analysis uses a larger data set and takes the analysis further to consider the effect of remarriage upon age differences among older couples. Moreover, the age difference between spouses has been observed to shrink or to grow over time as the neighbourhood officials recording the surveys increased the age of one spouse but failed to increase the age of the other. So, another question is how these perceptions affected the difference between the recorded ages of each spouse. This study will attempt to identify any such patterns and consider what they reveal about the expectations of the marital relationship.

No extended abstract or paper available

 Presented in Session 110. Marriage and Divorce: The Role of Social Context and Legal Frameworks