Fertility, Class and Gender in Britain 1860-1940 - Cambridge Studies in Population, Economy & Society | Historical Sociology Research for Academics & Students - Perfect for University Courses & Research Papers

This book is big. It is 704 pages long, all included, and the print is tiny. Moreover, it is not your average empirical overview of fertility decline, nor is it a single theory. In fact, this book sets out to deny that there even is the possibility of getting a theory.Szreter does a fantastic job of not only analysing fertility decline, but the study of fertility decline itself. The ultimate conclusion being that in creating sweeping and generalised theories one betrays the empirical data which shows not one, national decline but numerous local declines each with their own context. Szreter analyses the differences between working-class and middle-class groups; noting also the differences between unskilled and skilled working class groups, and the divergent groupings in the upper and middle classes also. He notes the differences in coal mining vs. textile towns; the changes in education and local policy; the uses of local voluntary organsations, etc.And, after all this, he concludes that the web which is weaved is not only complicated because of interrelated causations, but also because each shift is context-dependent - on historical local, regional and national events, on moral or religious beliefs, and so and so forth. Hence, social science and history need to work in a much less broad way than they have previously and work instead on local shifts and explaining these.The book is very hard going and covers a vast amount of sociological theory as well as demography and history. however, its conclusions and writing is fresh and for anyone studying British demography it is absolutely crucisl.