title: Widowhood, illegitimacy, marital reproduction and female longevity in a rural Spanish population.
abstract: Using data from parish and civil registers in a rural community in northwest Spain (Los Nogales), family reconstitution provided 1502 complete reproductive histories, of which 584 corresponded to first marriages of women dying after their 50th birthday. A homogeneous sample consisting of women married in the period 1877-1899 (N=311) provided information concerning their reproductive performance, including ages at first and last maternity and number of children born alive and surviving, which was related to the mother's post-menopausal longevity, also considering premarital fertility and her marital status (widow/married). The results obtained indicate that mothers with a lower proportion of children dying before the first birthday and the age of 15 (mainly males) have a greater post-reproductive longevity. Moreover, women with a more protracted end to their reproductive period and greater fertility live for more years beyond their 50th birthday. These results do not prove a causality between maternal longevity and more successful reproduction; instead, they are indicative of a holistic condition of health. A wide spectrum of favorable biological and environmental factors will have positive consequences for a woman's life trajectory, affecting both her reproductive performance and her own likelihood of surviving.
authors: Department of Zoology and Physical Anthropology, Faculty of Biology, Complutense University of Madrid and GEPS, Spain. vfuster@bio.ucm.es
authors: V
authors: V
authors: Fuster
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D005260:Female; D049672:History, 19th Century; D006801:Humans; D007086:Illegitimacy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008136:Longevity / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008593:Menopause / Q000502:physiology; D008597:Menstrual Cycle / Q000502:physiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D012042:Registries; D012098:Reproduction / Q000502:physiology*; D012424:Rural Population; D013030:Spain; D017805:Widowhood / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*