[Religion and size of family (author's transl)]

In the present economic society with its production patterns, religion slowly looses its influence on the size of the family. The vital statistics from 1973 to 1975 in Bavaria were reviewed regarding the birth registry in correlation to the religion of the marriage partners and to the birth rate was obvious not only in mixed marriages but also in marriages of the same religion. This development was especially apparent in marriages of less than 2 years duration. Exceptions were marriages in which one of the 2 christian religions, Roman Catholic or Protestant. In these cases, one marriage partner was usually not a German citizen. Different religions, value systems, different ethical values and ethnic considerations were of importance. In industrial societies, technology and economics are the dominant factors influencing human reproduction. This opens a large field for investigation by demographers, sociologists, psychologists, and physicians.