Illegitimacy and Lone-Parenthood in XIXth Century Sweden

Bibliographic Data

ID16472382
AuthorsAnders Brändström (0000-0003-2699-806X, corresponding author)
Year1999
Volume1998
Issue2
Pages93-114
Publication date1999-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAnnales de Démographie Historique (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0066-2062 • E-ISSN: 1776-2774
PublisherPERSEE Program (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.3406/adh.1999.1938
OpenAlexW100021448
LanguageEN
Citations received8

The article analyses illegitimate births as a life course phenomenon for women in the Sundsvall region in northern Sweden during the nineteenth century. In the middle of the century 9% of all children were born out of wedlock in Sweden. By the end of the nineteenth century their numbers had increased to 11%. Illegitimacy was mainly concentrated to urban areas. In the town of Sundsvall it exceeded 20% during the second half of the nineteenth century. It is argued that chances of survival for illegitimate infants were mainly caused by poverty. A majority of the women with illegitimate children managed to find a husband. The marriage resulted in increased chances of survival for children born within wedlock. An illegitimate births was usually the result of the first pregnancy of a young woman and an isolated event in her life course, which supports the argument that poverty and not marginalisation was the main cause for high illegitimate infant mortality. There were of course exceptions. Marginalisation and biological factors still played an important role in many cases. Some women in Sundsvall gave repeatedly birth to illegitimate children and were subsequently in a less favourable situation. They were to a much larger extend marginalised and less then 50% married if they had life histories with three or more illegitimate children. The article also analyses the importance of supportive kin networks for lone mothers, but argues that they played a less significant role for the survival of infants in comparison with, for instance, the number of illegitimate births experienced by the woman and birth intervals. The different life courses and the fates

Argument (complex analysis · Developmental psychology · Genealogy · Life course approach · Phenomenon · Political science · Poverty · Pregnancy · Sociology · Demography · Family Dynamics and Relationships · Gender Studies · Historical Studies on Reproduction, Gender, Health, and Societal Changes · History · Law · Medicine · Psychology

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