Declining childlessness and age at marriage: a test of a hypothesis
Veevers, J.E.
Social Biology 19(3): 285-288
1972
ISSN/ISBN: 0037-766X PMID: 4676455 DOI: 10.1080/19485565.1972.9987996Document Number: 516310
Using U.S. census data, 2 researchers in 1965 offered the following 3 conclusions regarding childlessness: 1) there are substantial differences in childlessness between urban and rural married women; 2) the proportion of childless women among postmenopausal women increased until about 1950; and 3) childlessness is presently declining. Investigators using 1961 Canadian census materials found the 3 conclusions to be true for Canada, as well. The incidence of childressness broken down by province and by age at 1st marriage is tabulated. It is hypothesized that childlessness is currently declining in both the U.S. and Canada because the age at 1st marriage is also declining. However, Canadian data show that the rates of childlessness tend to vary, even when age at 1st marriage is held constant. Therefore, it is concluded that both declining childlessness and declining average age at marriage are attributable to some other variable, perhaps social change.