Volume 22 - Article 14 | Pages 347–382  

Marriage choices and social reproduction: The interrelationship between partner selection and intergenerational socioeconomic mobility in 19th-century Sweden

By Martin Dribe, Christer Lundh

This article is part of the Special Collection 10 "Social Mobility and Demographic Behaviour: A Long-Term Perspective"

Abstract

This article studies the relationship between partner selection and socioeconomic status (SES) attainment and mobility in five rural parishes in southern Sweden, 1815-1894. Three different aspects of partner selection are considered: age, social origin, and geographical origin. We use an individual-level database containing information on the SES origin (parental land holding and occupation), age difference, and place of birth of the married couple. The results show a powerful association between partner selection and SES attainment and mobility. Social heterogamy was particularly important, but age heterogamy and geographic exogamy was also clearly related to both SES attainment and mobility.

Author's Affiliation

• Martin Dribe - Lunds Universitet, Sweden EMAIL
• Christer Lundh - Göteborgs Universitet, Sweden EMAIL

Other articles by the same author/authors in Demographic Research

Social-class differences in spacing and stopping during the historical fertility transition: Insights from cure models
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Socioeconomic status and fertility before, during, and after the demographic transition: An introduction
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The historical fertility transition at the micro level: Southern Sweden 1815-1939
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Social class and net fertility before, during, and after the demographic transition: A micro-level analysis of Sweden 1880-1970
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Social mobility and demographic behaviour: Long term perspectives
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