It Doesn’t Add Up: myths and measurement problems of births to single women in Blackpool, 1931–1971

Abstract

This article examines the usefulness of demographic methods for the study of births outside marriage, using Blackpool as a case study. It attempts to show that statistics collected for medical purposes were misinterpreted, producing a historical myth about the sexual behaviour of single women in seaside resorts. More sophisticated demographic methods reveal that the fertility of single women in Blackpool was unremarkable, but these methods are unable to describe highly seasonal local economies such as Blackpool. This case study suggests that the dichotomies of single/married and legitimate/illegitimate are incoherent, and that birth statistics can reveal little about sexual behaviour.