This article analyzes the changing age structure of Swedish and Finnish sailors for almost 200 years. We show that the proportion of the youngest men increased during the age of sail (i.e., the older technology). The average age increased significantly during the early twentieth century as steam (i.e., the newer technology) replaced sail in Nordic shipping. Thus, a technological revolution did not displace the older workers, but rather diminished the demand for the younger ones. This study shows, however, that technological changes were not the only drivers of changes in the age structure of Nordic sailors. Institutional and societal changes also played an important role, though they were at least partly coevolving with the technological changes. This study also shows that the maritime industry experienced professionalization especially during the latter part of the period.

中文翻译：

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年轻小伙子和老 Tars：北欧水手年龄结构的变化，1750 年代至 1930 年代

本文分析了近 200 年来瑞典和芬兰水手年龄结构的变化。我们表明，在航海时代（即较旧的技术），最年轻男性的比例有所增加。二十世纪初，随着蒸汽（即新技术）在北欧航运中取代帆船，平均年龄显着增加。因此，技术革命并没有取代年长工人，而是减少了对年轻工人的需求。然而，这项研究表明，技术变革并不是北欧水手年龄结构变化的唯一驱动因素。制度和社会变革也发挥了重要作用，尽管它们至少在一定程度上与技术变革共同发展。