TY - JOUR

T1 - “Isn’t it time you were finishing?”

T2 - fertility and female labor-force participation in England,1860-1920

AU - Atkinson, Paul

PY - 2012/10

Y1 - 2012/10

N2 - This contribution examines the relationship between women’s labor force participation (LFP) and fertility in three industrial towns of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century England from a feminist economic perspective. The study augments existing, statistical, approaches to demographic history by discussing women’s motivations. Women’s LFP influenced their likelihood of family limitation (via effects on both age at marriage and marital fertility). Where women were most likely to be in paid work, they were most likely to limit family size. It is further argued that the diversity of LFP patterns is the principal explanation for the varied patterns of fertility decline in different parts of Britain.

AB - This contribution examines the relationship between women’s labor force participation (LFP) and fertility in three industrial towns of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century England from a feminist economic perspective. The study augments existing, statistical, approaches to demographic history by discussing women’s motivations. Women’s LFP influenced their likelihood of family limitation (via effects on both age at marriage and marital fertility). Where women were most likely to be in paid work, they were most likely to limit family size. It is further argued that the diversity of LFP patterns is the principal explanation for the varied patterns of fertility decline in different parts of Britain.

KW - History

KW - fertility

KW - nineteenth century

KW - England

KW - women

KW - employment

U2 - 10.1080/13545701.2012.725942

DO - 10.1080/13545701.2012.725942

M3 - Journal article

VL - 18

SP - 145

EP - 164

JO - Feminist Economics

JF - Feminist Economics

SN - 1354-5701

IS - 4

ER -