Chapter Four. Girlpower. The European Marriage Pattern (Emp) And Labour Markets In The North Sea Region In The Late Medieval Period

Abstract

The European Marriage Pattern (EMP) was an institutional adaptation of marriage, and more generally of human reproductive behaviour, to a situation of rapidly. The special characteristics of the EMP and its importance become especially clear when it is compared to situations elsewhere in the world: that is, the marriage practices east of Hajnal's imaginary line between Trieste-Saint Petersburg, and especially in China. A combination of three social-economic and ideological conditions made the EMP possible: consensus versus parental authority, intergenerational transfers of property, and access to the labour market. In the North Sea region, relative earnings were high, and access to the labour market was easy, although women were still at a serious disadvantage in the labour force compared to men. The 'industrious revolution' may be interpreted as a continuation of the changes that occurred during the late medieval period.Keywords: European Marriage Pattern (EMP); labour market; late medieval period; North Sea region