Changes on family households in Navarra, twentieth century

Begoña Elizalde, Universidad Carlos III Madrid
Jesús Sánchez-Barricarte, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

At the end of the nineteenth century, the region of Navarra in Northern Spain was a predominantly rural community. In 1887, the population of its capital Pamplona was barely 26,000, 8% of the total population. For centuries, Navarra was characterized by two clearly differentiated family systems: a patrilocal system in the North and Center of the territory (with a single heir), and a neolocal family system dominant in the South (with divisible inheritance). In the twentieth century the region suffered a high rate of economic growth and industrialization, as well as a rapid growth of urban centers. In less than 100 years, Pamplona had come to represent 32% of the region’s population. This paper analyzes the impact of this rapid economic growth on the two family systems. The presentation will describe the impact on the traditional family structures, and how these systems have adapted to a changing economic and social environment.