Remarriage in a pre-transitional Italian community

The article explores the roles of household compositional factors and socio-economic status on widowhood and remarriage. By using micro-level data from a nineteen th-cen tury Italian community for the period 1819-1859, we found evidence of the very predominant role of household structure in the decision to remarry for both widows and widowers. In particular, the interplay between the presence of a supportive family network and the presence of coresiding children from previous marriages stood out as the key factors. The presence of children aged 12 and under promoted the search a new bride for widowers, whilst the presence of children of any age, especially young ones, decreased the chances of remarriage for widows.