Girl power: The European marriage pattern and labour markets in the North Sea region in the late medieval and early modern period

Tine De Moor*, Jan Luiten Van Zanden

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

292 Citations (Scopus)
9 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

This article argues that the European Marriage Pattern (EMP) has played a fundamental role in western Europe's economic development. The EMP emerged in north-western Europe in the late medieval period as a result of the preaching of the Catholic Church promoting marriage based on consensus, the rise of labour markets, and specific institutions concerning property transfers between generations that encouraged wage labour by women. It resulted in a demographic regime embedded in a highly commercial environment, in which households interacted frequently with labour, capital, and commodity markets. We also discuss possible long-term consequences for human capital formation and institution building.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-33
Number of pages33
JournalEconomic History Review
Volume63
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2010

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Girl power: The European marriage pattern and labour markets in the North Sea region in the late medieval and early modern period'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this