Summary
An increase in the number of ex-nuptial births over the last ten years appears to be related to the increase in the number of de facto couples. De facto couples with ex-nuptial births are frequently of lower socio-economic status than couples with nuptial births although they do not differ from married couples in their attitudes to marriage and having children. We argue that uncertain economic circumstances make some couples hesitate to marry; instead they decide to live in de facto relationships in which unplanned pregnancies occur.
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Khoo, SE., McDonald, P. Ex-Nuptial Births and Unmarried Cohabitation in Australia. Journal of Population Research 5, 164–177 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03029344
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03029344