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1 February 2009 Mechanisms and Microevolutionary Consequences of Social Homogamy in a 19th-Century Italian Community
Matteo Manfredini
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Abstract

Choosing a spouse has always been an event subjected to strong social control. Consideration of socioprofessional elements is therefore necessary for an in-depth understanding of the microevolutionary consequences of marriage. Thus in this paper I explore the extent and causes of reproduction isolation between different socioprofessional groups of a 19th-century Italian community, Casalguidi. Various features of mate choice pattern were investigated by means of individual-level data. The results show that Casalguidi was a community with strong socioeconomic internal boundaries, in which social belonging mattered much more than geographic provenience. The bourgeoisie showed such a high degree of social homogamy that it was almost reproductively isolated. Much more openness and less isolation was found between the two categories of farm laborers and sharecroppers, and day laborers.

© 2009 Wayne State University Press, Detroit, Michigan 48201-1309
Matteo Manfredini "Mechanisms and Microevolutionary Consequences of Social Homogamy in a 19th-Century Italian Community," Human Biology 81(1), 89-95, (1 February 2009). https://doi.org/10.3378/027.081.0107
Received: 30 November 2007; Accepted: 1 February 2009; Published: 1 February 2009
KEYWORDS
assortative mating
Italy
MARITAL DISTANCE
mate choice
reproductive isolation
SOCIAL HOMOGAMY
SPATIAL ENDOGAMY
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