ABSTRACT
A study of the potential mobility effects of declining fertility on self-recruitment in the Edinburgh Chartered Accountant (CA) profession between 1853 and 1914 requires an analysis of the output of the sons of CAs who were of an eligible age and location to be regarded as potential future recruits. In order to assess the impact of the CAs’ output of sons on their ability to secure self-recruitment three situtaions are posited: potential mobility assuming the existence of perfect self-recruitment, potential mobility not assuming perfect self-recruitment, and the real or actual amount of self-recruitment and upward social mobility into the SAE. In order to provide sufficient funds to secure the upward social mobility of at least one son, CAs, according to their individual circumstances, had fewer children.
