The timing of Spanish marriages a socio-statistical study

Abstract A sample survey of 2,012 married and single women aged 18-59 in Madrid was in part focused on causes of late marriage, which has for a long time been characteristic of Spain. It was found that age at marriage was not related to a variety of socio-economic measures, to parental restrictions on courtship, nor to birth order or number of siblings. Direct economic motivations appear to have affected length of courtship but scarcely age at marriage. Ages at marriage differ in different areas of Madrid, even when key demographic and social variables are controlled; and evidence from a sub-sample of interviews suggests that it may be a characteristic of different families. Along with clear evidence of normative patterns supporting long courtships and late marriages, such data point to the potential importance of sociological variables, and to the need for similar research on determinants of men's ages at marriage.