Household Structure and Urbanization in Three Icelandic Fishing Districts, 1880-1930

Abstract

During the period 1880-1930 Iceland was transformed from a society dominated by rural farming to an urbanized society heavily dependent on fishing and fish processing. This article examines the effects of this development on demographic behavior and household structure in three geographically distinct coastal districts with economies based on different types of fishing. Urbanization and the growth of the fishing industry increased marriage prospects and reduced the mean age at marriage. For most of the period fertility in the three districts exceeded the national average. However, the same also applied to infant mortality and mortality in general. Kinship and friendship networks appear to have played an important role in the growing fishing towns. Household structure in the districts varied considerably before 1880 and was largely influenced by the labor requirement of different types of fishing. In contrast, household structure was fairly similar in the three towns in 1930 and did not exhibit any distinctive features which could be identified as directly influenced by the labor requirements of fishing.