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Non-Marital Pregnancies in Australia since 1947

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2008

L. T. Ruzicka
L. T. Ruzicka
Affiliation:
Department of Demography, Australian National University, Canberra
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Summary

In this paper, non-marital pregnancies are defined as the sum of ex-nuptial confinements and the first nuptial confinements delivered within the first 8 months of marriage. Analysis is based on the annual statistics of live births, marriages and female non-married population as enumerated in the 1947–71 censuses. The incidence of non-marital pregnancies increased significantly in Australia between 1947 and 1971. This was found to be mainly due to rising ex-nuptial fertility rates, and, to a much lesser extent, to increased frequency of pre-marital pregnancies. A lesser proportion of pregnant non-married women were married before delivery in 1971 than in 1947. Some of the social implications are discussed.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 7 , Issue 2 , April 1975 , pp. 113 - 132
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1975

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