I50 THE TREND OF THE RACE 



remarriages among people of relatively advanced ages. The 

 increase of divorce, although very widespread, has been much 

 more rapid in some countries than in others, and in countries such 

 as the United States, where divorces are rapidly becoming more 

 frequent, the average age of marriage would tend thereby to 

 become considerably higher. Some countries have a separate 

 tabulation of first marriages. The ages of such marriages in 

 England and Wales have shown a slight increase since 1866, but 

 they have decreased in France (since 185 1) and in Bavaria. For 

 most countries there are no separate tabulations available. 



Age of marriage doubtless affects the differential birth rate 

 since the different classes marry on the average at different 

 periods of life. There is in most countries a tendency for members 

 of the educated and professional classes to marry late. According 

 to Rubin and Westergaard the average difference in the ages at 

 marriage of official and working classes at Copenhagen for 1878- 

 1882 was over 5 years. Of the former only 6.4 per cent were 

 married before 25, while 35.1 per cent of the latter were married 

 at that age. Similar differences were found by V. Fircks. Von 

 Mayr gives the ages at marriage for several classes in Prussia for 

 1881-86 as follows: 



Age of Marriage According to Occupation 



Average age 



Ofl&cial class 33 



Medical profession 31 



Artists and writers 30 



Army, navy, police 29 



Day laborers 29 



Metal workers 28 



Factory employees (male) 27 



" " (female) 24 



41 

 76 

 62 



30 

 40 



04 

 67 

 62 



That the more educated and skilled among the laborers marry 

 later than their less skilled coworkers is indicated from several 

 sources. Rowntree {A Study of Town Life, '02) gives the following 

 ages of marriage for skilled and unskilled workers of York: 



