Affected by many births, supported by many children? Later-life survival from a life course perspective in three historical populations

Is high fertility related to shorter lifespan? Evolutionary theories predict negative physiological effects of fertility on women’s later-life survival. However, kin and especially one’s own children may contribute positively to women’s survival in old age. Family members may transfer resources and provide caretaking assistance as women age and be a source of social support that contributes to health and survival. This paper focuses on the extent to which negative effects of childbearing on survival are possibly suppressed by positive family network effects on survival at age 50–85. We use multi-generational life course data from three historical populations: five parishes and a town in Southern Sweden (SEDD, 1813–1968), the St. Lawrence Valley in contemporary Canada (RPQA, 1670–1799) and the Krummhörn region in northern Germany (KH, 1720–1874). Using Cox proportional hazard models, we analyze the effect of fertility on survival and the relation between kin and survival in later life. We find that women with a larger number of births have higher mortality at advanced ages in Canada and Germany. In both populations, the presence of (adult) daughters is associated with lower mortality, particularly at advanced age (50–70). We conclude that the negative effect of childbearing on survival is partially counterbalanced by the help of adult children, depending on the local context.