Intergenerational Transmission of Reproductive Behavior in Sweden, 1850-1889

• Main Author: Paul Rotering
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: International Instititute of Social History 2017-11-01
• Series: Historical Life Course Studies
• Subjects: Parental influences; Historical demography; Sweden; Demographic transition; Intergenerational fertility transmission
• Online Access: https://www.openjournals.nl/index.php/hlcs/article/view/9347

Previous studies have consistently observed intergenerational continuities in childbearing. This study uses individual-level parish records to examine the intergenerational transmission of fertility over the life course of women in Sweden during the fertility transition in the second half of the nineteenth century. Bivariate correlations, event history analysis and Poisson regression models are estimated for a large number of indicators of reproductive behavior. In line with the literature, the findings show evidence of intergenerational fertility correlations. The observed correlations are often small, but show that fertility transmission did occur during the demographic transition. The findings confirm our current understanding of intergenerational transmission and highlight the role of kin members in shaping reproductive outcomes.