Abstract
This study focuses on the seasonal pattern of marriages in seven provinces of the Netherlands from 1810 to 1940. We ask whether the prevalence of May as the preferred marriage month was diminishing when industrialization changed the course of workload over the year. And if so, when did this occur, and were there differences between the regions? Given the ban on marriages during Lent and Advent, by studying the number of marriages during these months (approximated as March and December), we can determine which provinces adhered most to the religious rules, and how this pattern developed over time. In doing so, we have an excellent demographic measure for secularization. The analysis is based on the LINKS dataset which currently includes almost 2 million marriages that were contracted in seven Dutch provinces: Groningen, Drenthe, Overijssel, Gelderland, Noord-Holland, Zeeland and Limburg. The main conclusion of this study is that although Dutch society substantially transformed (economically, socially, politically and culturally) during the 19th and early 20th centuries until the Second World War, it was both the agricultural calendar and the Roman Catholic regulations that determined Dutch marriage seasonality.
Highlights
AND AIM OF THIS STUDYDemographic behavior of all populations, both in history as well as in the present, is characterized by seasonal patterns
This study focuses on the seasonal pattern of marriages in the Netherlands from 1810 to 1940, and as such tries to enrich our knowledge of the demography of the country during a period of structural transformation
There is an abundance of studies on this process (De Jonge 1968; Mokyr 1977; Van Zanden 1985; Van Zanden & Van Riel 2000) with special attention paid to the relatively late start of the Dutch industrialization
Summary
Demographic behavior of all populations, both in history as well as in the present, is characterized by seasonal patterns. This study focuses on the seasonal pattern of marriages in the Netherlands from 1810 to 1940, and as such tries to enrich our knowledge of the demography of the country during a period of structural transformation. It changed from a traditional agricultural society into a modern industrialized one. The period of Lent changes every year, the month of March is always included, and December covers the period of Advent almost completely Marriages in these two months are indicative of the strength of the marriage ban’s influence. The section summarizes the literature leading up to this approach of marriage seasonality
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