A young man's benefit

"Using cliometric methods and records from six grand-lodge archives, A Young Man's Benefit rejects the conventional wisdom about friendly societies and sickness insurance, arguing that 100F lodges were financially sound institutions, were more efficient than commercial insurers, and met a market demand headed by young men who lacked alternatives to market insurance, not older men who had above average risk of sickness disability." "George Emery and Herbert Emery show that many young men joined the Odd Fellows for sickness insurance and quit the society once self-insurance - savings - or family insurancesecondary incomes from older children - became feasible for them. The older men who valued the social benefits of membership and did not need the sick benefit gradually became a majority and dismantled the IOOF's insurance provisions."--BOOK JACKET.