The Gender Revolution: Marriage, Fertility, and Divorce in the Industrial City

This chapter focuses on industrialization and family behavior during the twentieth century against the backdrop of economic and institutional change. It documents trends regarding marriage and fertility and union dissolution from a gender perspective, and explores the role of socioeconomic status (SES) for these processes. Findings confirm patterns regarding gender and family consistent with that previously indicated at the national level. Throughout the century, Landskrona outpaced the rural parishes in adopting new demographic behavior. The period 1940–1970 was marked by strong family norms, distinct gender roles, and economic conditions enabling family formation for all, irrespective of SES, and at young ages. During this period divorce expanded across the population. In the 1970s, what had been normative became subject to free choice, resulting in increasing cohabitation and single living, while marriage decreased, childbearing was separated from marriage, and divorce became the common way for marriage to end.