The Fertility Decline in Norway c. 1850-1930

Marital fertility in Norway dropped almost 50% between 1890 and1930. This fundamental change in people’s behaviour came about through no political initiative from above, in fact it took place in spite of public policy. Thousands of families changed behaviour in their intimate private life. The social elite traditionally had the highest fertility, cottars the lowest, and farmers were situated in a middling position. The elite pioneered the change. They seem to have lowered their fertility from the marriage cohorts of the 1840s onwards. The decline in the national figures is visible from c. 1900. This astounding break with customary behaviour may be explained on the background of the mortality decline from the early 1800s onwards and modernisation trends in general.