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The short and the tall: comparing stature and socioeconomic status for male prison and military populations
journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-20, 18:54 authored by Inwood, K, Kippen, R, Hamish Maxwell-StewartHamish Maxwell-Stewart, Steckel, ROver the last four decades, historians and social scientists have become increasingly interested in the way in which information about stature might be used to explore the impact of environmental factors on the physical growth and well-being of past populations. A particular problem encountered by many researchers is that height data is only available for selected populations, typically military recruits or those admitted to correctional institutions. Evidence from Australian military and prison records demonstrate how the two social groups, soldiers and prisoners, differed from each other and from the wider population in terms of age, birthplace, occupation, and stature. Different patterns of observable characteristics conceal additional differences in intergenerational experience. We trace male prisoners and soldiers born between 1870 and 1899 in Tasmania to their birth records and thence to the marriages of their parents. This allows us to contrast social and occupational change from father to son for both prisoners and soldiers. We conclude that evidence arising from these institutionalized populations can be used to estimate wider societal trends, although caution needs to be exercised.
History
Publication title
Social Science HistoryVolume
44Pagination
463-483ISSN
0145-5532Department/School
School of HumanitiesPublisher
Duke Univ PressPlace of publication
905 W Main St, Ste 18-B, Durham, USA, Nc, 27701Rights statement
Copyright 2020 the authorsRepository Status
- Restricted