Abstract
Jones and Westoff (1979) reported a study offertility trends among white women in intact first marriages. They found that the fertility of white Catholic and non-Catholic wives was converging. The differential had all but disappeared, as had the differential by frequency of communion among Catholic wives. We replicated their study using data from the 1976 National Survey of Family Growth. We found that the fertility of the two religious groups was indeed converging, but the Catholic-non-Catholic differential was larger than that found by Jones and Westoff—how much larger depends on what measure is used. Moreover, we found that the differential by frequency of communion among Catholic wives was not converging. Possible explanations of the apparent differences in the findings are discussed.
White Woman, Religious Affiliation, Total Fertility Rate, Current Population Survey, Religious Participation
The text of this article is only available as a PDF.
References
Bonham, G. S. 1977. Expected Size of Completed Family among Currently Married Women 15–44 Years of Age: United States, 1973. Advance Data No. 10. National Center for Health Statistics, U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare.
Freedman, R., Whelpton, P. K., & Campbell, A. A. (
1959
). Family Planning, Sterility and Population Growth
. New York
: McGraw-Hill
.Freedman, R., Whelpton, P. K., & Smit, J. (
1961
). Socioeconomic Factors in Religious Differentials in Fertility
. American Sociological Review
, 26
, 608
–614
. 10.2307/2090259Ford, K. 1981. Socioeconomic Differentials and Trends in the Timing of Births. Vital and Health Statistics, Series 23, No.6. National Center for Health Statistics, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
French, D. K. 1977. National Survey of Family Growth: Sample Design, Estimation Procedures, and Variance Estimation. Vital and Health Statistics, Series 2, No. 76. National Center for Health Statistics, U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare.
Goldscheider, C. (
1971
). Population, Modernization and Social Structure
. Boston
: Little, Brown
.Grady, W. R. 1981. National Survey of Family Growth, Cycle II: Sample Design, Estimation Procedures, and Variance Estimation. Vital and Health Statistics, Series 2, No. 87. National Center for Health Statistics, U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare.
Janssen, S., & Hauser, R. M. (
1981
). Religion, Socialization and Fertility
. Demography
, 18
, 511
–528
. 10.2307/2060945Johnson, N. E (
1982
). Religious Differentials in Reproduction: The Effects of Sectarian Education
. Demography
, 19
, 495
–510
. 10.2307/2061015Jones, E. F., & Westoff, C. F. (
1979
). The End of “Catholic” Fertility
. Demography
, 16
, 209
–218
. 10.2307/2061139McCarthy, J. (
1979
). Religious Commitment, Affiliation and Marriage Dissolution
. In Wuthnow, R. (Ed.), The Religious Dimension
. New York
: Academic Press
.National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics. 1978. Statistics Needed for National Policies Related to Fertility. Vital and Health Statistics, Series 4, No. 18. National Center for Health Statistics, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Rindfuss, R. R (
1980
). Minority Status and Fertility Revisited-Again
. American Journal of Sociology
, 86
, 372
–385
. 10.1086/227246Ryder, N. B (
1973
). A Critique of the National Fertility Study
. Demography
, 10
, 495
–506
. 10.2307/2060877Ryder, N. B, & Westoff, C. F. (
1971
). Reproduction in the United States: 1965
. Princeton
: Princeton University Press
.Weller, R. H., & Bouvier, L. F. (
1972
). The Three Rs: Residence, Religion and Reproduction
. Demography
, 9
, 231
–240
. 10.2307/2060635Westoff, C. F. (
1979
). The Blending of Catholic Reproductive Behavior
. In Wuthnow, R. (Ed.), The Religious Dimension
(pp. 231
–241
). New York
: Academic Press
.Westoff, C. F. and E. F. Jones. 1979. Patterns of Aggregate and Individual Changes in Contraceptive Practice. Vital and Health Statistics, Series 3, No. 17. National Center for Health Statistics, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Westoff, C. F., & Ryder, N. B. (
1977
). The Contraceptive Revolution
. Princeton
: Princeton University Press
.Westoff, C. F., Potter, R. G., & Sagi, P. C. (
1964
). Some Selected Findings of the Princeton Fertility Study: 1963
. Demography
, 1
, 130
–135
.Whelpton, P. K., Campbell, A. A., & Patterson, J. E. (
1966
). Fertility and Family Planning in the United States
. Princeton
: Princeton University Press
.Zimmer, B. G., & Goldscheider, C. (
1966
). A Further Look at Catholic Fertility
. Demography
, 3
, 462
–469
. 10.2307/2060171© Population Association of America 1984
1984
