Fertility during Marital Disruption

Both the 1965 and the 1970 National Fertility Study revealed that approximately 11% of remarried women gave birth between the time of separation and the time of divorce and another 14% gave birth between divorce and remarriage. Data from the 1970 survey are used to examine the incidence and correlates of this often neglected aspect of nonmarital fertility. Potential explanations for this phenomenon include an attempt to salvage a disolving marriage through a pregnancy or simply the effect of marital disputes during periods of fertility when contraception is not rigorously practiced. Most of the intermarital births are related to the termination of the prior marriage and a life table analysis of open and closed nonmarital periods shows that the monthly rate of these births is greater in cases of initial disruptions. Age at the beginning of the intermarital interview and number of children also affects the incidence of intermarital births with younger less parous women having more children. While no trend in intermarital births can be discerned the increased incidence of broken marriages may of itself increase the rate of intermarital births. An examination of differentials shows that more intermarital births occur among blacks less educated women and women who had apremarital birth. Since among women aged 30-44 in 1970 there were as many intermarital as premarital births and since the social and economic conditions associated with illegitimacy apply in large part tot he women and children involved in intermarital births this aspect of fertility requires increased research.