Fecundity, fertility and the formation of human capital

TY - JOUR

T1 - Fecundity, fertility and the formation of human capital

AU - Klemp, Marc Patrick Brag

AU - Weisdorf, Jacob

PY - 2019/1/1

Y1 - 2019/1/1

N2 - Exploiting a genealogy of English individuals living in the 16th to the 19th centuries, this study shows that lower parental reproductive capacity positively affected the socio-economic achievements of offspring. Using the time interval between the date of marriage and the first birth as a measure of reproductive capacity, we find that parental fecundity positively affected the number of siblings and that children of parents with lower fecundity were more likely to become literate and employed in skilled and high-income professions. This suggests there was a trade-off between child quantity and quality in England during the industrial revolution, supporting leading theories of the origins of modern economic growth.

AB - Exploiting a genealogy of English individuals living in the 16th to the 19th centuries, this study shows that lower parental reproductive capacity positively affected the socio-economic achievements of offspring. Using the time interval between the date of marriage and the first birth as a measure of reproductive capacity, we find that parental fecundity positively affected the number of siblings and that children of parents with lower fecundity were more likely to become literate and employed in skilled and high-income professions. This suggests there was a trade-off between child quantity and quality in England during the industrial revolution, supporting leading theories of the origins of modern economic growth.

U2 - 10.1111/ecoj.12589

DO - 10.1111/ecoj.12589

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:85067206044

SN - 0013-0133

VL - 129

SP - 925

EP - 960

JO - The Economic Journal

JF - The Economic Journal

IS - 618

ER -