R2718th

Changes in the demographic structure and reproductive patterns of Europeans: causes and consequences **1750 Illegitimacy Explosion** ====From the mid-eighteenth century, number of births without marriage increased. These illegitimate births caused the reproductive patterns and demographic structure to change. Fewer young women abstained from premarital intercourse, and fewer men married the women who were pregnant which led to cultural transformation. Through this change, the growth of cottage industry created new opportunities, not tied to the land but for earning a living. As cottage industry grew, the population increased because the young people did not had to wait for inheritance to get married and have children. Mobility encouraged more illegitimate explosion as well. The consequences to these changes were population growth and more opportunities for working class men and women through cottage industry.====

Works Cited:

McKay, John, Bennett Hill, and John Buckler. //A History of Western Society//. 7th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003.