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DEMOGRAPHY OF SWEDEN.
119-
diminished frequency of marriages and the beginning of emigration is really
explicated. In the same degree as the difficulties in the economical life of Sweden
disappear — and signs of such disappearance are already noticeable — the
deplorable phenomena we have described will be conquered. But, nevertheless, we must
confess that the diminished frequency of marriages can partly be ascribed to the
steadily rising economical pretentions of those entering married life, and the
consequent difficulty of caring for a family. Doubtlessly some importance must
also be attached to the decrease of mortality and its result, a delayed inheritance
of livelihood — as pointed out especially by Wicksell and Flodström —,
though the decrease of mortality also, in part, has a contrary effect, in so far as, by
increasing prosperity, it also promotes the opportunities of gaining a livelihood.
Marriages contracted. The account just given was intended to
illustrate the division of the population according to the civil condition.
We have now to give some description of the ordinary demographical
details concerning the marriages contracted. The principal figures can
be seen from Table 19.
Table 19. Relative number of marriages.
I Average for the years [-Marriages-] {+Marria- ges+} per 1 million inh. Per 1 million Inh. Wedded per 1,000
unmarried, 20/5fl years. Per 1 million inh. Wedded per 1,000
unmarried, S0/« years. Per 1 million inhab. wedded
[-Unmarried-]
{+Unmar- ried+} men, 20/80 yc»r8. Wedded men, firat marriage. Unmarried women, JO/« years. Wedded women, first marriage. [-widowers.-] {+widow- ers.+} widows.
1751/75.... 8,684 65,253 7,234 110-9 72,195 7,633 105-7 1,450 1,051
1776 00... 8,369 76,172 6,956 91-8 77,055 7,315 94-9 1,413 1,054
l!<0125.... 8,595 74,733 7,189 962 74,208 7,549 1017 1,406 1,046
1826/50.... 7,310 75,876 6,339 83-5 70,457 6,638 942 971 672
180175.... 7,041 83,281 6,242 74-9 78,987 6,595 83-5 799 446
1876/95.... 6,213 80,103 5,554 698 77,3% 5,917 76-4 659 296
1886,95.... 5,931 79,182 5,312 671 76,691 5,666 73-9 619 265
We must first point out the extraordinary decline in the number of
those marrying a second time, a circumstance which, no doubt, stands in
connection with the decline in mortality. At the present time, second marriages
are less frequent in this country than in any other land in our quarter of the globe.
The average age for marriage has been, during the years 1891/95, for men
30’m years, and for women 27 m years. The difference in age thus amounts to
3 m years: this difference was formerly unusually small in Sweden but has
somewhat increased of later years. As regards first marriages alone, the average
age of men is taken to be 28’ss years, and of women, 27 o» years; on second
marriages, the men’s age is given at 45’7« years and women’s, 41os years.
Of the persons entered into marriage in the years 1891/95, 0 «3 % of the men
and 12-44* of the women were less than 21 years of age. These figures are the
lowest of their kind in the whole of Europe. From a physical, moral, and social
point of view, the Swedish writer Emil Svensén has thoroughly investigated
the subject of premature marriages. Among nations where premature marriages
are common, he finds generally a want of physical and spiritual strength and,
to a certain extent, everything resting on a weak foundation (infantism); perfect
physical and spiritual development belong to those nations where marriages are
made at more mature ages. Thus, the figures shown above must be considered
as very favourable for Sweden. Also, in no other nation is the minimum age for
the marriage of the women held as high as in Sweden (for the present 17 years).
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