Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-75dct Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-08T00:13:37.124Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Non-marital pregnancies in New Zealand since the Second World War

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2008

Gordon A. Carmichael
Gordon A. Carmichael
Affiliation:
Department of Demography, Australian National University, Canberra
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Shortcomings of the illegitimacy ratio as an index of the level of non-marital childbearing in New Zealand are exposed. Trends in the level of bridal pregnancy are analysed in terms of changes in age-specific probabilities of conceiving a child outside marriage, of ‘regularizing’ such a pregnancy before confinement, and of marrying when non-pregnant. Finally, trends in childbearing resulting from non-marital pregnancies are examined using an index which allows all relevant pregnancies to be related to a single population at risk, and which can be partitioned according to the eventual status of confinements as marital or non-marital. A substantial decline in such childbearing during the 1970s is established and attributed mainly to greater use of abortion. Marital births resulting from non-marital conceptions declined especially sharply.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 17 , Issue 2 , April 1985 , pp. 167 - 183
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1985

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Baker, J.V.T. (1965) War Economy. Historical Publications Branch, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington.Google Scholar
Basavarajappa, K.G. (1968) Pre-marital pregnancies and ex-nuptial births in Australia, 1911–66. Aust. N.Z.J. Sociol. 4, 126.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Basavarajappa, K.G. (1969) Recent trends and patterns of non-Maori fertility in New Zealand. J. biosoc. Sci. 1, 101.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Betts, K. (1981) Ex-nuptially conceived births: a note on measurement. Aust. N. Z. J. Sociol. 17, 53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cameron, J. (1979) The Social Correlates of Contraceptive Practice among Unmarried Teenagers: an Exploratory Study. M. Soc. Sci. thesis, University of Waikato.Google Scholar
Carmichael, G.A. (1982a) Aspects of Ex-nuptiality in New Zealand: Toward a Social Demography of Marriage and the Family since the Second World War. PhD thesis, Australian National University.Google Scholar
Carmichael, G.A. (1982b) On the measurement of fertility associated with ex-nuptial conceptions: a response to Betts. Aust. N. Z. J. Sociol. 18, 449.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carmichael, G.A. (1984a) Living together in New Zealand: data on coresidence at marriage and on de facto unions. N. Z. popul. Rev. 10, 41.Google Scholar
Carmichael, G.A. (1984b) Measuring fertility associated with ex-nuptial conceptions: a further response to Betts. Aust. N. Z. J. Sociol. 20, 93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Department of Social Welfare (1975) Trends in Illegitimacy, Adoption and Related Matters. Submission to the Royal Commission on Contraception, Sterilisation and Abortion, Wellington.Google Scholar
Department of Statistics (1967) Ex-nuptial births: demographic influences on the statistics. Supplement, Monthly Abstract of Statistics, 01.Google Scholar
Department of Statistics (1975) Recent trends in New Zealand fertility. Supplement, Monthly Abstract of Statistics, 11.Google Scholar
Douglas, E.M.K. (1977) The new net goes fishing: fertility change amongst the Maori of New Zealand. In: The Persistence of High Fertility: Population Prospects in the Third World. Edited by Caldwell, J. C., Australian National University, Canberra.Google Scholar
DPB Review Committee (1977) Report of the Domestic Purposes Benefit Review Committee. Government Printer, Wellington.Google Scholar
Easton, B. (1978) The married women's property act and the domestic purposes benefit. Women's Stud. Ass. Newsletter, 1, 3.Google Scholar
Facer, W.A.P., Simpson, D.W. & Murphy, B.D. (1973) Abortion in New Zealand. J. biosoc. Sci. 5, 151.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gemming, J.S. & Crighton, A.S. (1974) Abortion among women in Auckland. N. Z. med. J. 79, 857.Google ScholarPubMed
Interdepartmental Committee on Ex-nuptial Births (1969) Interdepartmental Report on Ex-nuptial Births. Wellington.Google Scholar
Irwin, J. (1976) Survey into sexual knowledge, attitudes and behaviour in first year university and teachers' college students. In: Adolescence in New Zealand: A Book of Readings. Edited by Stewart, R. A. C.. Heinemann, Auckland.Google Scholar
Jain, S.K. (1972) Cohort Nuptiality in New Zealand. PhD thesis, Australian National University.Google Scholar
Jain, S.K. (1973) Sourcebook of Population Data: New Zealand Non-Maori Population 1921–1967. Australian National University, Canberra.Google Scholar
Jensen, J. (1969) Illegitimacy: Some Notes on the Increase in Illegitimacy Over Recent Years and Some Speculations on What Has Caused it. Joint Committee on Young Offenders, Wellington.Google Scholar
Kirkwood, B.J., Brown, R.A., Lawrence, G.M., Facer, W.A.P. & Hunton, R. (1979) Abortion experiences among New Zealand women. N. Z. med. J. 90, 294.Google ScholarPubMed
Kumar, J. (1969) Demographic analysis of data on illegitimate births. Social Biol. 16, 92.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
O'Neill, C.J. (1975) Abortion: an Evaluation and Estimate for New Zealand. Working Papers in Sociology No. 11, University of Waikato.Google Scholar
O'Neill, D.P., Hudson, R., Boven, R., O'Connell, B.M. & Donnell, A.A. (1976) Ex-nuptial Children and Their Parents: A Descriptive Survey. Department of Social Welfare, Wellington.Google Scholar
Pearce, D. & Farid, S. (1977) Illegitimate births: changing patterns. Popul. Trends. 9, 20.Google Scholar
Pool, D.I. (1974) The onset of the New Zealand Maori fertility decline 1961–66. Pacific Viewpoint, 15, 81.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pool, D.I. & Crawford, C.R. (1980) Adolescent ex-nuptial births and ex-nuptial conceptions in New Zealand. N. Z. popul. Rev. 6(2), 20.Google Scholar
Prioux-Marchal, F. (1974) Les conceptions prénuptiales en Europe Occidentale depuis 1955. Population, 29, 61.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reinken, J. & Blakey, V. (1976) Family Growth Study. Department of Health, Wellington.Google Scholar
Rogers, A.F.C. & Lenthall, J.F. (1975) Characteristics of New Zealand women seeking abortion in Melbourne, Australia. N. Z. med. J. 81, 282.Google ScholarPubMed
Royal Commission on Human Relationships (1977) Final Report Volume 3: Sexuality and Fertility. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.Google Scholar
Ruzicka, L.T. (1975) Non-marital pregnancies in Australia since 1947. J. biosoc. Sci. 7, 113.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Simpson, D.W. (1971) Pregnancy among the unmarried in New Zealand. N. Z. med. J. 73, 1.Google ScholarPubMed
Steincamp, J. (1975) Some Comments on New Zealand Women Visiting Australian Abortion Clinics from July 1974 to the Present Day. Submission to the Royal Commission on Contraception, Sterilisation and Abortion, Wellington.Google Scholar
Trlin, A.D. & Perry, P.E. (1981) Manawatu Family Growth Study. Department of Health, Wellington.Google Scholar
Trlin, A.D. & Ruzicka, L. T. (1977) Non-marital pregnancies and ex-nuptial births in New Zealand. J. biosoc. Sci. 9, 163.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Werry, J.S., Pearson, A.S., Taylor, C.M. & Bonham, D.G. (1974) Ex-nuptial conception in New Zealand. N. Z. med. J. 79, 853.Google Scholar
Zodgekar, A.V. (1975) Maori fertility in a period of transition. J. biosoc. Sci. 7, 345.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zodgekar, A.V. (1980) The fertility transition in the non-Maori population of New Zealand. J. biosoc. Sci. 12, 165.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed