Extramarital reproduction and infant mortality in Rural Galicia (Spain)

Abstract

Register data from a rural community in northwestern Spain show a very high rate of extramarital births. An analysis is made of this data to determine the influence of illegitimacy on offspring mortality during the first year of life. For the period 1871–1949, the illegitimacy rate and the legitimate and illegitimate infant mortality rates were estimated. A significantly higher rate was found in illegitimate infant mortality rates. The monthly-accumulative infant mortality figures indicate a lower probability of survival among children born extramaritally, mainly during the neonatal period. These differences are mostly clear in children not recognized by either the father or the mother.