Childbearing after Remarriage

Using June 1985 US Current Population Survey data this study provides a detailed analysis of childbearing that occurs after the 2nd marriage among women who remarry during their reproductive years. For both whites and blacks approximately 1/2 the women gave birth in the 2nd marriage; most of these births occur within 24 months of remarriage. Proportional-hazards models showed that among whites childbearing probabilities varied by sociodemographic variables most notably age at 2nd marriage and parity at 2nd marriage. Sociodemographic differentials had less effect on the childbearing probabilities of blacks. Variables that may affect childbearing in the 2nd marriage include race education duration of first marriage age of dissolution of first marriage dissolution type of first marriage age at second marriage year of second marriage parity at second marriage and intermarital fertility. Women whose 1st marriage lasted a short time may be more likely to give birth in the 2nd marriage. The older a women is when she ends her 1st marriage the less likely she may be to have a birth in the 2nd marriage and women ending their 1st marriage by divorce consider childbearing differently than those who became widowed. (Authors modified).