Abstract

MARCO-GRACIA, Francisco J.. ‘Be fruitful and multiply’. Religion as a determinant of demographic behaviour in rural Aragon, 1940-2012. Pap. poblac [online]. 2022, vol.28, n.111, pp.163-198.  Epub Sep 19, 2022. ISSN 2448-7147.  https://doi.org/10.22185/24487147.2022.111.07.

The objective of this article is to analyse how the religious values affect demographic behaviour at the micro level in a rural study area. To this end, 807 women living in nine villages in Spain were interviewed. Based on these answers and the parish registers, a comparative analysis was made between different demographic variables, such as age at first marriage, number of children, and first and second birth intervals, as a function of weekly attendance of Catholic mass. The results indicate that those married from the 1970s onward showed divergent demographic behaviour as a function of religious participation, with women who regularly attend religious services presenting a higher age at first marriage, greater fertility and shorter birth intervals.

Keywords : Religion; fertility; marriage; values; birth intervals.

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