Teresa Castro-Martin

http://www.demographic-research.org/volumes/vol22/27/

doi:10.4054/DemRes.2010.22.27

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Abstract

Nonmarital childbearing is becoming an increasingly common path to family formation in Spain. The proportion of births to unmarried mothers has increased from 2% in 1975 to 30.2% in 2007. Along with this marked increase, there has been an important shift in the sociodemographic profile of unmarried mothers. This study focuses on the impact of mothers’ marital status on the health status of their newborns, using low birthweight as an indicator. We are interested in examining how the impact of mothers’ unmarried status on birth outcomes changes as nonmarital childbearing shifts from a marginal to a relatively common behaviour. The results of the analysis reveal that the health disadvantage gap between marital and nonmarital births has narrowed significantly over the past decade in Spain. We argue that diminishing selection processes and increasing social acceptance could explain the declining significance of marital status as a risk factor for low birthweight.

Author's affiliation
Teresa Castro-Martin
CSIC (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas), Spain

Keywords
childbearing, cohabitation, low birthweight, nonmarital fertility, out-of-wedlock, perinatal health, Spain, unmarried mothers

Word count (Main text)
4951

Other articles by the same author/authors (in Demographic Research)

	[20-9] Is Latin America starting to retreat from early and universal childbearing?
	[19-41] Women’s changing socioeconomic position and union formation in Spain and Portugal
	[18-16] Not truly partnerless: Non-residential partnerships and retreat from marriage in Spain

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