Changes in reproductive behaviour in the beginning of the demographic revolution (example of Staňkov)

Changes in reproductive behaviour in the beginning of the demographic revolution (example of Staňkov) Abstract The aim of this study is to analyse reproductive behaviour of population in the Czech lands in the 19th century, a period in which demographic revolution began. The research is based on data from Staňkov, a town in southwestern Bohemia, which, unlike the majority of adjacent region, experienced a substantial industrialization in the 19th century. This resulted in a significant population growth during the analysed period. Family lists were compiled from the registers of births, marriages and deaths using the method of family reconstitution. Nuptiality, marital fertility and infant mortality were the main analysed topics. Population was also divided into groups based on social stratification and these groups were analysed to determine, whether their reproductive behaviour differed from each other. The results from Staňkov were compared to other previously studied localities in the Czech lands. This study revealed that in the 19th century changes in reproductive behaviour within social groups were quite small or negligible. Big changes in nuptiality, fertility or infant mortality in the beginning of demographic revolution can therefore be mainly attributed to the shifts in the social structure of the..