Mexico: Nuptiality differentials by region and size of settlement

Abstract

This article presents a description of the patterns of marriage to be found in the different regions of Mexico based on an analysis of the National Demographic Survey (Encuesta Nacional Demográfica) conducted in 1982. Research was structured around two differentiations regarding the behavior of nuptiality. First, an assessment was made of first marriages in terms of their timing, intensity, average age at marriage and nature of the union according to the size of the settlement. Then a similar analysis was effected for each region. In conclusion, it is pointed out that in Mexico two patterns of nuptiality coexist: one which is characterized as "traditional" and the other which has been called the "Gulf-Caribbean" pattern because in some respects it is similar to the patterns found in the Caribbean region.