El nivel de vida en el medio rural de Castilla y León. Una constatación antropométrica, 1840-1970

Abstract

The aim of this article is to estimate the effects of the agrarian capitalism on Castile and León's rural population using anthropometric indicators. Our results show that the economic growth of these areas based in extensive agriculture and food industry generated less welfare than the industrialization and a more unequal income distribution. The fall of the standards of living during the central decades of the 19th century was higher in these rural lands than in towns. Since the taller men left their villages, emigration increased these differences between rural and urban areas.