we tend to simply put it down to technology such as the pill, which was merely the most convenient and reliable method, which became widespread un the early sixties (i just escaped)
But census and bmd records show that in britain at least, families in the first decade of the 1900s were considerably smaller than fifty years earlier, meaning the motive and the means were both present to have smaller families. Probably about four children not nine or more
The govenment and social commentators of the time did notice this, as they controversialy added questions in the 1911 census to try to find out what was happening. They still believed england needed to continue to expand its empire, and an essential part of that was the production of soldiers and emigrants to maintain the empire.
They could hardly have prediced the carnage and population loss of the great war a few years later, along other social upheavals of the 20th century.
Its very difficult to find information as to how ordinary people changed their habits in a few decades, before the great social upheavals from the great war onwards.
Theres plenty of documentation showing the outcomes. Also bear in mind improved sanitary conditions would have meant less infant deaths than fifty years earlier, so it must have been family planning of some kind.
But census and bmd records show that in britain at least, families in the first decade of the 1900s were considerably smaller than fifty years earlier, meaning the motive and the means were both present to have smaller families. Probably about four children not nine or more
The govenment and social commentators of the time did notice this, as they controversialy added questions in the 1911 census to try to find out what was happening. They still believed england needed to continue to expand its empire, and an essential part of that was the production of soldiers and emigrants to maintain the empire.
They could hardly have prediced the carnage and population loss of the great war a few years later, along other social upheavals of the 20th century.
Its very difficult to find information as to how ordinary people changed their habits in a few decades, before the great social upheavals from the great war onwards.
Theres plenty of documentation showing the outcomes. Also bear in mind improved sanitary conditions would have meant less infant deaths than fifty years earlier, so it must have been family planning of some kind.