Social Class Variations in the Decline of Marital Fertility in Late Nineteenth-Century London

ABSTRACT

—One of the most persistent findings of research on the late nineteenth century fertility transition has been the significance of social class specific patterns. This paper explores this issue by examining the pattern of fertility variation amongst the London registration districts in the period from 1861 to 1891. It identifies several clear associations between the Princeton fertility indices and two surrogate variables for social class, the number of female servants and the percentage living in poverty, and concludes by suggesting reasons for the apparently striking differences in fertility behaviour between the inhabitants of distinctive social areas in the West End and the East End of London.