Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP14651
Authors: Sara Horrell; Jane Humphries; Jacob Weisdorf
Abstract: We consider the living standards, supplies of child-labour, and poor-relief needs among intact and broken working-class families of various sizes in historical England. We estimate family incomes without resort to the usual day wages and ahistorical assumptions about male labour inputs. We also incorporate women and children’s wages and labour alongside consumption smoothing using a life-cycle approach. Living standards varied considerably over time and by family structure and dependency ratio. Small and intact families enjoyed high and rising living standards after 1700. Large and broken families depended on child labour and poor relief up until 1830.
Keywords: child labour; consumption smoothing; costs of living; dependency ratio; life cycle; living standards; poor relief; prices; wages
JEL Codes: J22; N13; O10
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| family structure (J12) | living standards (I31) |
| small and intact families (J12) | higher living standards (I31) |
| large and broken families (J12) | reliance on child labor and poor relief (J82) |
| dependency ratio (J19) | income generation (E25) |
| family size (J12) | income generation (E25) |
| economic pressures (P42) | reliance on child labor (J82) |
| couples saving before marriage (D14) | mitigated financial stress during child-rearing years (D14) |