The Female Population of France in the 19th Century : :A Reconstruction of 82 Departments

In analyzing the social and economic factors underlying the decline of fertility in nineteenth-century France. Etienne van de Walle found that official statistics for the period were incomplete and inaccurate. He thus undertook a full reconstruction. In this volume, he presents a detailed discussion of the methodology used to correct and to supplement these official statistics, along with the results of the reconstruction of 82 French départements, and French and English summaries of his findings. By computing standardized indices of fertility and nuptiality for each of the 82 départements, the author extends the period for which standardized demographic indices are available. His methodology, which evaluates and corrects the biases and defects of the official statistics, provides a model for similar background studies in the future. Originally published in 1974. The **Princeton Legacy Library** uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905. Cover Contents Foreword Preface List of Tables List of Maps and Figures Part 1: Methods 1: The Background I. France and the Population Transition II. Research on the Demographic History of France 2: The Data I. Introduction II. The Censuses A. The Available Data B. A Preliminary Check of the Quality of the Censuses III. Data from Vital Registration 3: Reconstruction of the Female Population by Age I. General Description of the Method II. Evaluation of the Data III. A Review of the Assumptions A. Mortality Pattern B. A Stable Population in 1801 C. Migration 4: Reconstruction of the Female Population by Marital Status I. General Description of the Method II. Reconstruction of Marital Status for Cohorts Marrying After 1861 III. Reconstruction of Marital Status for Cohorts Marrying Before 1861 5: The Total Female Population of France I. Reconstruction of the Aggregate Population of France II. Mortality Pattern III. A Comparison of the Sum of the Départemental Reconstructions to That of France as an Aggregate IV. A Comparison with Bourgeois-Pichat's Reconstruction 6: Patterns of Bias in the Départements I. Births II. Age Distribution III. Married Population IV. Fertility and Nuptiality Indices 7: Main Trends of Fertility and Nuptiality by Département I. The Female Crude Birth Rate Prior to 1831 II. Changes in Marital Fertility, 1831 to 1901 III. Changes in Illegitimate Fertility, 1831 to 1901 IV. Changes in Nuptiality, 1831 to 1901 V. The Evolution of Overall Fertility, 1831 to 1901 8: Some Additional Results of the Reconstruction on Mortality and Migration I. Mortality II. Migration Conclusion Part 2: Results 1. Technical Notes on the Reconstruction of Individual Départements 2. The Data, by Département 3. Présentation de L'ouvrage au Lecteur Français References, Including Official Statistical Sources Geographical Index