Waiting times to first birth in a rural area

The waiting time between marriage and first birth is a particularly interesting parameter, for it reveals both the fertility of a given population as well as its social behaviour with regard to reproduction and the institution of marriage. Such waiting times were analysed in 289 nuclear families in the village of Chateauponsac, Limousin, France according to maternal marital age and social class. After correction for age effects, it was shown that women from the working class tended to have their first child much earlier than those in other occupational groups--often either before marriage or conceived prenuptially. It is concluded that this behaviour arises from economic factors rather than through differential use of contraceptives.