Tracy K. Dennison: For Love or Money: Marriage and Economic Development in the Past

Before industrialization, people married young and lived in extended families with several generations under the same roof - or so the story goes. In parts of Europe, however, our "modern" pattern - late age at first marriage combined with nuclear family households - goes back many centuries, leading some researchers to wonder if this very pattern actually brought about the Industrial Revolution and early economic growth in the west.

This talk will address questions about the relationship between family patterns and economic development, drawing on evidence for a number of societies in pre-industrial Europe.

Tracy K. Dennison is a professor of social science history at Caltech.

Learn More: http://hss.caltech.edu/people/tkd/profile

Presented By: Caltech Committee on Institute Programs