Sociala meddelanden. 1954: 1-6 (pdf) - Statistiska centralbyrån

RÉSUMÉ 117
Sociala Meddelanden
Official Journal published monthly by the Social Welfare Board of Sweden
1954, no 2 CONTENTS
Page
Social theory and social policy. I. By Professor Gunnar Myrdal 63
Marriages by dispensation and divorces 76
The West German Republic and juvenile delinquents. By Gerhard Simson,
LL. D 88
Short notices:
The Social Welfare Board's views on the Social Insurance Committee's report on
maternity insurance etc 92
New tariff of fees adopted by the Swedish Social Welfare Federation's Tariff Delegation 95
The Seventh International Conference on Social Work 96
The United Nations' social training colleges in 1954 96
The trend of wages in 1939—1952 97
Periodical Surveys
Register 98
Public assistance in 1952 98
Government expenditure for social purposes in 1954/55 101
The cost-of-living index for December 1953 103
The Social Welfare Board's general consumer price index for December 1953 111
Employment and unemployment 113
Literary survey 120
Book notices 126
Social theory and social policy. I. Under this
heading is reproduced the opening address given
by Professor Gunnar Myrdal at a conference in
London in 1953 arranged by The British Sociological
Association. The paper has been published
in The British Journal of Sociology (September
1953).
In tile first section that is reproduced in this
number the author gives a historical sketch in
which he points out, among other things, that the
sociologists have received many more impulses
from the efforts to improve society than from
sheer curiosity in regard to tho functions of society.
Social policy has been the primary factor, social
theories the secondary.
The writer goes on to describe the functions of
sociological research workers in a democratic
community, these functions being viewed in
relation to the functions of politicians and newspapermen.
P. 63.
The Issue in Brief
Marriages by dispensation and divorces. In an
investigation undertaken by Allmänna Barnhuset
(The General Orphanage) into marriages
in which one of the contracting parties has not
reached legal age (for men 21 years and for women
18 years), and for which dispensation lias been
granted by His Majesty The King, it is established
that the frequency of divorce in respect.
of these so-called marriages by dispensation is
far in excess of the frequency ratio in tho case
of the most common ages for marriage. The
inquiry relûtes to divorces during the period
1045—50 among marriages contracted in the
year .1945. Those marriages in which the woman
was under 18 years of age at the date of the
marriage in 1945 show the highest frequency of
divorce (12,3 % dissolved marriages during the
period 1945—50). Next come marriages in which
the husband was under 20 years of age (9,9 %).
'i he frequency of divorce is lowest in thi.ic marriages
entered into when the woman was between
25 and 30 years of age and the man between 30
and 35 (1,7 %). In those cases in which either
the man was undtr 20 or the woman under 18
when the marriage was contracted the frequency
of divorce was 10,8 %. P. 76.
The West German Eepullic and jurinile delinquents.
Gerhard Simeon, LL. D., sketches in
this article the background to the Jvgendgericlitsgesetz
that was issued in August 1953 in
the German Federal Republic. This Law, which
is analysed by the author, is described as a compromise
between modern methods and earlier
principles — a fact that becomes particularly striking
in regard to the age groups affected. Like
its two predecessors, the Weimar Laws and those