The transmission of longevity across generations: The case of the settler Cape Colony

Evidence on long-term multigenerational dynamics is often inadequate as large datasets with multiple generations remain very uncommon. We posit that genealogical records can offer a valuable alternative. Rather than exploring the intergenerational transmission of socioeconomic status, we rely on bir...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Research in social stratification and mobility 2014-03, Vol.35, p.105-119
Main Authors: Piraino, Patrizio, Muller, Sean, Cilliers, Jeanne, Fourie, Johan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Correlation
Environmental Factors
Family environment
Family relations
Generations
Grandparents
Historical data
Inequality
Intergenerational mobility
Intergenerational Relations
Longevity
Parents
Relatives
Settlers
Siblings
Socioeconomic Status
South Africa
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Summary:Evidence on long-term multigenerational dynamics is often inadequate as large datasets with multiple generations remain very uncommon. We posit that genealogical records can offer a valuable alternative. Rather than exploring the intergenerational transmission of socioeconomic status, we rely on birth and death dates of eighteenth and nineteenth century settlers in South Africa's Cape Colony to estimate the intergenerational transmission of longevity. We find that there is a positive and significant association between parents’ and offspring's life duration, as well as between siblings. Although these correlations persist over time, the coefficients are relatively small. While the effect of grandparents’ longevity on that of grandchildren is insignificant, the cousin correlations suggest that inequality in longevity might persist across more than two generations. We suggest that family and environmental factors shared by cousins, beyond grandparental longevity, can explain these results.
ISSN:0276-5624
1878-5654
DOI:10.1016/j.rssm.2013.08.005