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Spouse selection in Canada, 1921–78: an examination by age, sex and religion

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2008

K. G. Basavarajappa ,
M. J. Norris  and
S. S. Halli
K. G. Basavarajappa
Affiliation:
Demography Division, Statistics Canada, Ottawa
M. J. Norris
Affiliation:
Demography Division, Statistics Canada, Ottawa
S. S. Halli
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
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Summary

This paper presents time series data on spouse selection in Canada for the period 1921–78. Homogamous and endogamous trends are examined by age, sex and religion. There is considerable variation in the level of endogamy amongst religious groups. With respect to age, marriages were increasingly homogamous up to 1971 and thereafter less so. Younger males increasingly tended to select brides of their own age group until the 1960s, while older males have been increasingly heterogamous since World War II. Females under 20 years of age tend to select older grooms; other brides show no clear trend in their spouse selection by age.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 20 , Issue 2 , April 1988 , pp. 211 - 223
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1988

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