18th Century Society

Marriage and Family A.Prior to Nuclear family a.Young married couples lived away from parents 2.Marriage age higher a.Late 20’s or older for both men and women Self-support 3.Permission or approval of local lord or landowner a.Austria and Germany b.Fear of poverty and abandoned children c.THIS PATTERN MAINTAINED SOME BALANCE BETWEEN POPULATION AND RESOURCES

Marriage and Family A.Prior to Children a.Out of wedlock birth rates low Powerful social control Premarital sex limited to couples already thinking about marriage b.Infant mortality rates B.New Patterns after Growth of cottage industry increased income a.Resulted in higher rates of marriage for love Financial independence Arranged marriages declined Law and regulations ignored

Marriage and Family B.New Patterns after Population explosion a.Increased illegitimacy Mobility Open rebellion 3.Women in cities a.Not motivated by emancipation and sexual liberation Marriage was escape from hard life C.Attitudes toward children 1.Child care and nursing A.Poorer women Breast feeding Spaced births Infants more likely to survive

Marriage and Family C.Attitudes toward children 1.Child care and nursing a.Poorer women b.Women of aristocracy and upper-middle class Seldom breast fed children Hired wet-nurses ~“Killing nurses” 2.Infanticide a.Rampant due to severe poverty b.Foundling hospitals emerged, first in Paris then throughout Europe