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Nineteenth century stature and family size: binding constraint or productive labor force?

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Abstract

A neglected area in historical stature studies is the relationship between stature and family size, which are documented here to be positively related. The relationship between material inequality and heath is the subject of considerable debate, and there was an inverse relationship between material inequality and stature. After controlling for family size and wealth variables, the paper supports a positive relationship between the physical environment and stature.

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Notes

  1. As a result of both genetic and environmental conditions, people grow only to the age of 20.

  2. I am currently collecting 19th century Irish prison records. Irish prison enumerators also used light, medium, dark, fresh and sallow to describe white prisoners in prisons from a traditionally white population. To date, no inmate in an Irish prison has been recorded with a complexion consistent with African heritage.

  3. No upper bound is placed on ages and all US geographic regions are considered.

  4. The angle that sunlight strikes the earth’s surface influences the amount of energy received at the earth’s surface, i.e., geographic locations closer to the equator receive more insolation. However, surface objects in western states received greater amounts of insolation because insolation is also influenced by elevation above sea level and cloud cover. Objects at higher elevations above sea level receive more insolation because there is less atmospheric interference from matter in the atmosphere, such as humidity. Less interference at higher elevations allows more sunlight to penetrate surface objects. The West and Southwest are also the geographic areas within North America with the least amount of cloud cover. However, the insolation index used in the regression models is the net amount of insolation after considering cloud cover because it is based upon recorded surface insolation values and not based on computer models that do not account for cloud cover.

  5. Restricting the prison sample to only individuals imprisoned in their state of birth also avoids the problem that immigrants may have had different family sizes due to their immigration status.

  6. This explanation relies on survivorship studies that posits that if a particular plant size if it is efficient, eventually all plant sizes will adapt this technology and approach the efficient plant size (Stigler 1958). Family size is for census birth period. For example, a 20 year old born in 1860 is measured in 1880 and reflects the 20 year net cumulative biological conditions that occurred between 1860 and 1880.

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Acknowledgments

I appreciate comments from Paul Hodges and Rick Steckel.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Texas, Permian Basin, 4901 East University, Odessa, TX, 79762, USA

    Scott Alan Carson

  2. University of Münich and CESifo, Shackstrasse 4, 80539, Münich, Germany

    Scott Alan Carson

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Correspondence to Scott Alan Carson.

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Carson, S.A. Nineteenth century stature and family size: binding constraint or productive labor force?. Rev Econ Household 10, 39–52 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11150-011-9119-4

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