Transitory inequalities: how individual-level cause-specific death data can unravel socioeconomic inequalities in infant mortality in Maastricht, the Netherlands, 1864-1955

The decline in infant mortality played a crucial role in the health transition in the Western World. This decline among the vulnerable new-borns was however not an evenly dispersed process. Inequalities as a result of regional differences, cultural influences or socioeconomic status shaped the paths towards low mortality rates. The role of socioeconomic status in levels of infant mortality and its decline remain highly debated. In this article, we study the development of socioeconomic disparities in infant mortality in the Dutch town of Maastricht in the period 1864-1955. This study uses uniq... Mehr ...