Marital Fertility and Religion: Recent Changes in Spain

41 Pages Posted: 16 Nov 2004

See all articles by Alícia Adserà

Alícia Adserà

Princeton University - Princeton School of Public and International Affairs; Princeton University - Office of Population Research (OPR); IZA Institute of Labor Economics

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Date Written: November 2004

Abstract

Since the onset of democracy in 1975, both total fertility and Mass attendance rates in Spain have dropped dramatically. I use the 1985 and 1999 Spanish Fertility Surveys to study whether the significance of religion in fertility behavior - both in family size and in the spacing of births - has changed. While in the 1985 SFS family size was similar among practicing and non-practicing Catholics, practicing Catholics portray significantly higher fertility during recent years. In the context of lower church participation, religiosity has acquired a more relevant meaning for demographic behavior. Among the youngest generation, non-practicing Catholics behave as those without affiliation. The small group of Protestants and Muslims has the highest fertility and interfaith unions are less fertile.

Keywords: fertility, religion, religiosity, Spain, timing of births

JEL Classification: J1, Z21

Suggested Citation

Adsera, Alicia, Marital Fertility and Religion: Recent Changes in Spain (November 2004). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=621063 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.621063

Alicia Adsera (Contact Author)

Princeton University - Princeton School of Public and International Affairs ( email )

Princeton University
Princeton, NJ 08544

Princeton University - Office of Population Research (OPR) ( email )

200 Wallace Hall
NJ 08544
United States

IZA Institute of Labor Economics ( email )

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

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