Spouse selection in Canada, 1921–78: an examination by age, sex and religion

Abstract

SummaryThis paper presents time series data on spouse selection in Canada for the period 1921–78. Homogamous and endogamous trends are examined by age, sex and religion. There is considerable variation in the level of endogamy amongst religious groups. With respect to age, marriages were increasingly homogamous up to 1971 and thereafter less so. Younger males increasingly tended to select brides of their own age group until the 1960s, while older males have been increasingly heterogamous since World War II. Females under 20 years of age tend to select older grooms; other brides show no clear trend in their spouse selection by age.