Age at Marriage in Nineteenth-Century Italy

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The family forms found in central and northeastern Italy in the nineteenth century contrasted sharply with those found in the south, with complex forms generally characterizing the former areas and nuclear forms predominating in the latter. Early marriage and a neolocal form of household formation prevailed in most of the south, while later marriage and multi-nuclear households were common in the north. These are linked to differences in the economic systems of these different areas, but also to cultural differences.