The Implications of Divorce in late 19Th-and early 20Th-Century Iceland

This study looks at the socio-economic status of divorced men and women in two Icelandic censuses: the censuses of 1880 and 1920. In 1880, Iceland was an almost exclusively rural society, in which only a tiny fraction of the population lived in towns. In 1920, almost two-thirds of the population lived in towns. In line with other studies, it is shown that divorced persons were more likely to live in urban than rural settings. Contrary to most other studies, it is shown that, initially, the majority of divorced people belonged to the urban and rural poor. Less than half of all divorcees in 1880 headed a household and a notable proportion lived on poor relief. The changes in the societal structure caused improvements in the conditions of divorcees and, in 1920, the social status of divorcees was considerably higher than in 1880. It is shown that there were notable differences between divorced men and women. Divorced women were more likely to live in urban areas than men and the social status of divorced women was higher in urban than in rural areas. In the towns, women were able to lead an independent existence, in which they could earn their living by providing various types of services.