Changing patterns of marriage and work in Ireland, 1926-1951

Abstract: Marriage is closely tied to economic status, and delayed marriage is often a sign of poor economic conditions for younger people. After a century of decline, marriage rates in Ireland appeared to turn a corner in the 1930s. This study examines this apparent period of transition using census data and finds that in reality marriage rates for men engaged in agriculture continued to decline at least until the middle of the twentieth century, and that when it came to the issue of marriage this sector diverged from the rest of the economy. These findings give us an important insight into the relationship between land, employment, and marriage in Ireland, and have interesting implications for parts of the world where the demographic transition is in its early stages.