Social change and early fertility decline in Catalonia

"This article attempts a description of the fertility and nuptiality patterns of a group of selected localities in Catalonia [Spain] from the late eighteenth century to the mid-nineteenth century. The pattern of fertility transition in Catalonia can be described as starting from nuptiality conditions of early and quasi-universal marriage. The pattern of nuptiality is preserved throughout the process in its essentials. The transition, then, was largely limited to a decline in marital fertility. The evidence suggests an onset occurring in the 1830s, closer to the French experience than to that of any other Western European country. Finally, the analysis of the 84 local areas supports the proposition that structural factors had a significant effect on both the mid-nineteenth century level of marital fertility and the rate of decline during the 70-year period under study." (SUMMARY IN FRE)

Covariates of divorce in Australia: an analysis using proportional hazard models

"This paper utilizes data from the 1986 Family Formation Survey of the ABS [Australian Bureau of Statistics] to examine the incidence and correlates of divorce among real cohorts of Australian women with specific characteristics. It is shown that marriage cohort, age at marriage, country of birth, area of residence, age left school and fertility status at marriage are related to the risk of divorce. The results of the present investigation complement findings of other studies on divorce in Australia as well as hazard model based studies from the U.S.A., Canada, and New Zealand."

[Mexico: nuptiality differentials by region and size of settlement]

"This article presents a description of the patterns of marriage to be found in the different regions of Mexico based on an analysis of the National Demographic Survey...conducted in 1982.... An assessment was made of first marriages in terms of their timing, intensity, average age at marriage and nature of the union according to the size of the settlement. Then a similar analysis was effected for each region. In conclusion, it is pointed out that in Mexico two patterns of nuptiality coexist: one which is characterized as 'traditional' and the other which has been called the 'Gulf-Caribbean' pattern because in some respects it is similar to the patterns found in the Caribbean region." (SUMMARY IN ENG)

Economic analysis of age at first marriage

A subject of great interest to demographers is to relate the timing of demographic events to individual characteristics and environmental variables. Static models of marriage tend to give corner solutions, the choice of marriage, or remaining single. This article develops an economic model of marriage which gives interior solutions to the optimum age at 1st marriage and which does not include an explicit argument about the age at marriage in the utility function. In theoretical analysis, the life cycle model is modified to capture different aspects of the decision of when to get married. Results from empirical analysis support implications derived from the theoretical analysis.

Phenotypic consequences of nonrandom migration in the Jirels of Nepal

The phenotypic structure of human populations is shaped by a number of factors such as population size and marital migration. This paper examines the impact of migration on the between-village phenotypic differentiation of the Jirels, a tribal group of eastern Nepal. Data on stature and five cranial measurements for 526 individuals (males and females) are utilized to illustrate the patterns of phenotypic variation. A permutation method is used to generate the phenotypic consequences of random migration constrained to observed levels of movement. The results suggest that Jirel migration is nonrandom and that it produces higher levels of phenotypic differentiation than would result from a random migration process.

Social context of human immunodeficiency virus transmission in Africa: historical and cultural bases of east and central African sexual relations

The literature relating to the social context of sexual relations in East and Central Africa has several implications for the heterosexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Colonially created cities in the region still discriminate economically and socially against women. Rapid urbanization is occurring, but migrants maintain strong ties with rural areas. Traditional attitudes towards marriage and sexuality affect urban behavior in the extent of marital stability, the frequency of polygyny, and the emotional bond between spouses. Ethnic groups in Kampala and Nairobi exemplify the cultural foundations of two forms of sexual relations found in the region, one characterized by prostitution and the other by small circles of interchanging lovers. The first results in a more rapid spread of HIV through the urban population and outwards into rural areas. Each pattern exerts unique constraints on behavioral change and requires different prevention campaigns.

Human capital, marital and birth timing, and the postnatal labor force participation of married women

Using materials from the National Longitudinal Surveys of Labor Market Experience of Young Women, this article analyzes postnatal labor force participation data for married husband-present women over a 15-year period in order to study factors associated with the length of time out of the labor force following the 1st birth. Survival analyses and proportional hazards models indicate that human capital variables (education, prebirth work experience, and income) and marital and birth-timing variables (age at 1st marriage and age at 1st birth) have significant estimated effects on the rate and timing of reentry into the paid labor force.

A note on the estimation of marriage rate from census data

"The level and trend in nuptiality for the developing countries can not be studied because necessary data are not available. A broad idea of the trend is obtained by examining the never-married proportion for different age cohorts at different censuses. In this paper, a methodology for estimating age-specific marriage rates from census data is presented." (SUMMARY IN FRE AND ITA)

[The social and economic integration of Portuguese immigrants in Brazil at the end of the nineteenth century and in the twentieth century]

"This survey of Portuguese migration to Brazil analyses the Portuguese and Brazilian statistics to determine the volume, timing and quality of Portuguese immigrants to Brazil as well as the importance of Brazil in the overall Portuguese emigration. The patterns of geographic and economic mobility for the Brazilian resident Portuguese is examined, especially for the period since 1900." The analysis suggests that "though their rapid integration into the Brazilian economy may explain their very low rates of return migration--the lowest of the major European immigrants--they were also the most endogamous of the European migrants, having relatively low rates of intermarriage with native Brazilians and other immigrants." (SUMMARY IN ENG)

Socio-economic determinants of age differences between spouses in Bangladesh

"This study examines socio-economic differentials in age differences between spouses in Bangladesh. The variables considered for the analysis are bride's current and childhood residences, education, work status before and after marriage; and groom's childhood residence, education and occupation. Among these variables, childhood residence, education and occupation evince the strongest differentials." (SUMMARY IN FRE AND ITA)