The relationsbip of marital condition to death, crime, insanity and pauperism - by W.F. Ogburn - Proceedings

Sep 21, 2026

Explores the relationship between marital condition and major social outcomes—death, crime, insanity, and pauperism—using data for the United States in 1910. The article emphasizes establishing empirical facts over speculative causal explanations, while reviewing prior work on marital-conditioned death rates. It compares death-rate patterns for never-married, married, widowed, and divorced men and women across age groups, and discusses possible interpretations involving correlated variables and third factors such as physical type.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time30 min

AccessFree to download

The relationship of marital condition to death, crime, insanity and pauperism

Purpose and data source (United States, 1910)

Death-rate comparisons by marital status and age

Interpretation: correlation, cause, and third-variable explanations

97-84127-12Ogburn,William Fielding The relationship of maritalcondition to death,crime.. Roma 1926 # COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIESPRESERVATION DIVISION BIBLIOGRAPHIC MICROFORM TARGET OBIGINAL MATERIAL AS FILMED-EXISTING BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD Reproduclions maynot be made withoutpermssion trom Columbia University Libvaries. RESTRICTIONS ON USE: TECHNICAL MICROFORM DATA FILM SIZE: 5mmREDUCTION RATIO: 1311 INITIALS: 业 DATE FILMED: 7-1-97 TBACKING\#: 23853 FILMED BY PRESERVATION RESOURCES,BETHLEHEM,PA. 100BR # XVI SESSION DE L'INSTITUTINTERNATIONAL DE STATISTIQUE z(36× 247 ## The relationsbip of marital conditionto death,crime,insanity and pauperism by W.F.OGBURN. ROMA FBOVVEDTORATO GENERALE DELLO STATOLIBRERA 1926 THE RELATIONSHIP OF MARITAL COXDITIOX TO DEATH,CRIME,IKSANITY AND PAUPERISM. by W.F.OGBURS The purpoBe of the following article,is to show the relationshipof marital condition to certain social conditions represented bydeath,crime,insanity and pauperism,among men and women.The purpose is primarily to establish the facts of such relati-onships,only;such diseunsion of eauses as appears is quitesubsidiary to the main purpose,and is of a diferent nature,that is,speculative.It is thought that the discovery of the facts of theserelationshire is important,whatever their enterpretation may be.The data are for the United States and for the year 1910.Death rates have ben frequently collected and classifieod bymarital condition and have a number of times been subjected torefined analyses.In the United States,Profesor Walter Willeoxhas studied the death rates by marital condition¹for New YorkState,2 for 1910.His figures²show a greater death rate for menwho have never married than for married men at all 10 yeurage groupe,up to 80 yenrs,the death rate being more than twiceas great from 30 to 50 years of age and nearly twice as great from50 to 70 years. DEATH. The death rates of the widowed and divorced males countedtogether are very nearly the same as the death rates of the menwho have never married.For instance,in the age group 30 yearsto 40 years,the death rate of married men is 5.9,that of men whohave never married is 12.9 and that of widowed and divorced menis 14.1. Professor Willoox's figure show no such impressive differencebetween the denth rates of unmarried wonen and married women.The death rates for women who have never married is a little greaterhowever than the death rates of married women,except in the agegroup from 20 to 30 years.For instance in the group from 30 to 40years the death rate of spinsters is 7.4 while that of married womenis 6.3.The death rate of widowed and divorced women is nearly thesame as the death rate of the spinsters;however,in the age period from 20 years to 30 years the death rate of the widowed and thedivoreed is twice as great as the death rate of spinsters and muchgreater that the death rate of married women. The figures for England and Wales for 1910-123however,show a slightly greater death rate for marriel women by 5 yearage periods from 25 to 45 years than for woinen who have nevermarried.From45to 55 years,however,the death nate is greater forspinsters,while after 55 years the death rates are nearly the samefor both spinsters and married women. These data suggest many interesting specnlatione as to causes.As to interpretations,it should be observed here that when twovariables are eorrelated,either variable may be the eause of theother;that is,a variation in either one may produce variations in theother,or the eonsomitant variations in each may be eaused byvariations in still another or other variables.The two variablescorrelated here are death and marital condlitions.The maritaleonditions may be the eause of deaths,but deaths could hardly bethe canse of marital c

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the article?

To show the relationship between marital condition and social conditions represented by death, crime, insanity, and pauperism, mainly to establish the facts of those relationships.

What data does the article rely on?

The data are for the United States and for the year 1910, including death-rate statistics classified by marital condition.

How does the article interpret the relationship between marital condition and death rates?

It notes that correlated variables may be causes of each other or may be jointly affected by a third factor, suggesting that physical type could explain observed differences rather than marital conditions themselves.

Sep 21, 2026

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