Economic, demographic, and sociological studies of historical fertility transitions have tended to seek direct, quantifiable correlations between economic change and the fiscal well-being of heads of household--that is, of men. The prevailing assumption has been that men make fertility decisions and that they make these decisions based entirely on simple cost-benefit analyses. Women's perceptions and goals have been largely ignored as have cultural and political transformations. This study looks at women during the American Revolution who began to construct new understandings of femininity and fertility.
This paper explores the ethical debates spurred by the demographic transition that extended the average American lifespan to 68.1 years of age in 1950, a twenty-year jump from 1900. How should old age be defined? Where will the infirm elderly live? Where will they die? What responsibility does the state have to care for the elderly? This paperesuscitates the first moment in the American past where religious leaders, foundation heads, and federal officials all took on thesequestions and sought lasting solutions to the mounting problem of old age.
