century rural market economy

Using a dataset of 1,700 ages at first marriage for Roman Catholics born in the Groningen Ommelanden (The Netherlands) during the period 1721-1800 explanatory variables for the specific age at marriage have been searched for. The 18 th and early 19 th century Groningen Ommelanden fitted perfectly into Hajnal’s Western European marriage pattern with very high ages at marriage and a high celibacy. Average and median age at marriage were 2-3 years earlier for males and females born 17211770 as compared to those born 1776-1800. In nearly all groups, the age at marriage fell to a considerable extent in this period. Other variables had far less explanatory value. In this prospering market-oriented and specialised society, no proof is found for the niche hypothesis, which suggests that people postponed marriage until they acquired a position suitable to support a family. Birth order, parental family size, occupation and social class could explain only a very small part of the large differences in age at marriages observed. Most of these differences seem to have been the result of personal decisions, which were not being grasped by the economic and social indicators used.