Work, Marriage, and Motherhood in Derbyshire: Event History Analysis of Women's Employment and Fertility Histories, 1881-1911

Emma Diduch, University of Cambridge

Census data and marriage indexes for the county of Derbyshire in England are linked between 1881 and 1911 to reconstruct individual life courses and childbearing histories. These linked data have been used to analyse county-wide fertility patterns by the occupational groups of both husband and wife, confirming significant effects of both occupation and location on the likelihood that a couple follows a moderate or low fertility pattern. In addition, a sample of the employment records of the Strutt cotton spinning mills in Belper have been transcribed and linked to the census data. Together these sources will be used to explore patterns of employment by age, gender, and marital status, and to perform event history analysis of the effects of textile employment on the transition to marriage and childbearing. This analysis will offer insight into the role of women's work and child labour in the fertility transition and into wider mechanisms of the diffusion of new attitudes and behaviours.

No extended abstract or paper available

 Presented in Session 53. Historical Change in Fertility Timing and Quantum