Age at menarche among adolescent females in Zambia: implication for family formation

This study examines the relationships between age at menarche and two fertility related variables, expected age at marriage and expected number of children. The random sample consists of 525 secondary school-going females in the age range 13-21 years from the Copperbelt and Lusaka Central Provinces in Zambia. It was found that the age of menarche ranged from 10 to 18 years with a mean of 14.2 + 1.4 (mean + SD) years. The association between age at menarche and expected age at marriage was found to be weak but positive. Furthermore, the association of age at menarche with expected number of children was found to be weak but in the negative direction.

The dissolution of Muslim Marriages (Amendment) Ordinance, 1986 (No. 25 of 1986), 30 March 1986

This Ordinance amends the Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act, 1939, to permit as a ground for dissolution of a Muslim marriage by the wife the fact that "she, having been given in marriage by her father or other guardian before she attained the age of eighteen years, repudiated the marriage before attaining the age of nineteen years." Previously the ages were set at sixteen and eighteen years, respectively.

[On some characteristics of Tahitian family groups. Standards, behavior, projection]

"[This is a] study of the evolution of the Tahitian family group through systematic analysis of a set of files of candidates for low cost housing. This first showed a set of frequently little-known standards: the normal nature of concubinage, relatively late marriage, the establishment of the family only considered as being effective with the third child, the generalization of adoption, etc. The trend towards nuclear families is then questioned. The nuclear family model is spreading rapidly and even appears to be consciously desired by many young couples. However, the extended family in various forms (with a tendency to favour matrilineal extensions) remains preponderant and conserves an essential social integration function in Tahitian society." (SUMMARY IN ENG)

Small town development and urban illiteracy: comparative evidence from Leicestershire marriage registers 1754-1890

"Based on the analysis of Anglican marriage registers for the period 1754 to 1890, the article explores patterns of illiteracy in three small Leicestershire [England] towns with contrasting economic functions. Illiteracy levels were closely related to urban occupational and social structures, which also affected distinct gender differentials. Evidence [of] the effect of literacy on age at marriage and marriage distance suggests that demographic behaviour and spatial interaction were determined more by socio-economic factors than by the possession of literacy skills. Literacy attainment, however, was linked to extended marriage distances when both spouses could sign the register."

Aboriginal marriage and survival

Patterns of marriage among the aboriginal population of Australia are investigated. The author attempts to determine "the economic significance of a method of family formation in which child-bearing is an essential component of the process....[and discusses the impact of] change in the micro-economies of Aboriginal households and families." Probabilities of change in marital status are also considered. Data are from the 1981 census.

Subanu alias Saira Banu v. A.M. Abdul Gafoor, 3 April 1987

The appellant, a Muslim wife, sought maintenance for herself to live separately from her husband because he had taken a second wife. In overturning a lower court ruling, the Supreme Court held that the appellant was entitled to maintenance. It relied on Section 125(3) of the Criminal Procedure Code, which it construed as conferring the right upon a wife to refuse to live with her husband if he has contracted another marriage and to obtain maintenance. It concluded that this right was not negated by the fact that Muslim personal law permits a husband to have more than one wife.

The determinants of marital stability: a comparative analysis of first and higher-order marriages

"This study examines similarities and differences in the determinants of stability for first marriages and remarriages. Focusing primarily on the role of investments in marriage-specific human capital, the paper develops several hypotheses about the effects of children from the current marriage, children from previous unions, and home-production skills. The empirical results, based on white and black respondents from the 1982 [U.S.] National Survey of Family Growth, are generally consistent with the hypotheses and underscore the importance of marriage-specific human capital as a determinant of union stability."

Modelling step-families: exploratory findings

"A combined macro-micro model is applied to a population similar to that forecast for 2035 in the Netherlands in order to simulate the effect on kinship networks of a mating system of serial monogamy. The importance of incorporating a parameter for the degree of concentration of childbearing over the female population is emphasized. The inputs to the model are vectors of fertility rates by age of mother, and by age of father, a matrix of first-marriage rates by age of both partners (used in the macro-analytical expressions), and two parameters H and S (used in the micro-simulation phase). The output is a data base of hypothetical individuals, whose records contain identification number, age, sex, and the identification numbers of their relatives." (SUMMARY IN FRE)