Why did they not get married? Biological, economic and family determinants of celibacy in rural Spain (1785–2010)

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyze the determinants of celibacy at 45 years of age in the generations born between 1785 and 1965. Men and women will be analyzed separately, based on individual variables, such as family, economic, nutritional, physical and behavioural factors. To do this we will divide the period into two sub-periods, one pre-transitional (born between 1785 and 1900) and another transitional and post-transitional (born between 1900 and 1965). The microdata for the analysis comes from nine rural municipalities of the region of Aragon, in north-eastern Spain. The results will highlight the influence of the family, economic, nutritional and physical contexts on the marital status at the age of 45.