CONJUGAL STATE

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 32, 9 February 1929, Page 17

CONJUGAL STATE

THE 1926 POPULATION

SOME CENSUS RETURNS

"FOll BETTER OIfWOItSE"

One of the recently issued census publications is th.'it dealing 'with the conjugal condition of the Dominion's population. The Government Statistician arrives at the fact that of the Dominion's population 03.98 per cent, of those who hud rc'iehed the age of 16 at.the time of the 1920 Census had taken a life's partner.for better or for worse. The total population of New Zealand at the- Census was 1,344,469, excluding Maoris and residents of the Cook and other Pacific Islands. Of this total 408,755 .were males and 449,----019 females over sixteen years of age.; Of these .there wore 7559 who were, unable, either through ignorance or otherwise, to. give any details about their conjugal condition. These cases,' however, are not sufficiently numerous to affect adversely the published results. \

* Bachelors returned at the 1920 Censusnumbered 183,139, aud spinsters 147,434. Amongst the males bachelors predominated in all ago groups up to 30 years of age, spinsters holding numerical superiority over other females in all age groups up to 25 years. .That 258J251 husbands and only 253,821 wives were returned at the Census date.does not indicate that .New Zealnnders are relapsing into polyandry. The explanation of the disparity in the figures lies in the fact of the greater mobility of the' male. In nearly all.Census years there: is an excess of husbands over wives, although in ;the'years 1891, 1896, and 1916 it was' the other'way about. The husband frequently settles.in a country first, .sending for his wife at a later date. The Dominion, being an immigrant country, has a surplus of married males, the comparatively largo surplus revealed.by the 1926 Census being explained by the fact that the quinquennium 1921-25 saw the largest migration .increase experienced in ; the country for- over .'forty years. The surplus of wives in 1891 and 1896 (only numbering a few hundreds) is an illustration of that principle, for those were years of depression; The, surplus of wives' in 1916 (3929)- was simply an effect of the war: •

It is of interest".to note that while for many :years iho. average age at marriage exhibited an upward tendency, reaching its- maximum between' 1917----19, the Mast' six years show a fairly steady 1 decrease. -: . . \ \ . ■;':•■

'- The Census- of 1926 was the first occasion on which data concerning, separations were collected. The number of married men who returned thcmselyes as legally separated from their wives, was 2426,; and'there were 3063 married women returned as legally separated from:their'husbands. Of these cases, .9 males and 28' females were under 21 years [ot age. The adults formed 0.60 per cent, of the v total adult males, and the corresponding percentage.o.f females to the total adult. females was 0.79. The'numerical;: superiority of the females 'legally separated may partly be accounted .for by the. fact that males, would be more liable, on account of financial independence, ,to leave the country after being legally separated from their better halves. WIDOWS AND WIDOWERS; Widowers in 1926 numbered 15,295 arid widows- '40,078, ' representing. increases of .664/"widowers and 3569 widows since the Census of 1921. Widowers'.comprised. 4.55 per cent, of the total adult males, and ,widowa 7.40 per cent, of 'the total adult females. The reasons for widows outnumbering widowers' to such an extent arc that the mala death rate is invariably higher tliair the" femalb dea.th rate; that the marriage'ago is higher for males than for females; and, Jastly, that .widowers remarry to a much greater extent than do widows. ■•■:■•

In this connection the following tables of remarriages arc interesting:—

Marriages, between ' ... ", I . widowers and ■'• Number Per cent. Spinsters! ...... 2445 '. ' 66.1. Widows' .V...... 983 26.6, Divorced women 271 7.3 ' . • ■ .-Totals 3699 100.0" Marriages between- • ■ . ■ Widows and Number Per cent. Bachelors ..-.,... 1839 60.6 Widowers 983 32.4 Divorced men .... 212 7.0 : : Totals 3034 '100.0 '

INCREASING DIVORCES,

In 1926 there, were 2073 divorced males (0.52 per cent, of the total adult male population),, and 1635 divorced females (0.47 per cent, of the total adult female population).

Commenting ■; on. the divorce figures,

the -Government--••Statistician t says: — "Figures relating to divorce are important because 1 the .existpnee' of the necessity for divorce often means tho existence of a. state, of affairs inimical to social stability.' It'is'stated that the .family or the homo is the. real unit or foundation of' society,, and that bohm thfi case, tlietKitH'stion 'of divorce, which nlTecta the . uont'niuaiiee -of the family relationship, is possessed of great intur(;st. '■"■••• ' •'■'.•'-.

>Yoin aii; individual' standpoint, there is also the fact that marriage constitutes the most important change in the legal status of apcrsoiij.and divorce is the sole nieans -of-iiltcring that status otherwise than by the death of one of the parties.to tlie^niarriagc contract."

There has. been 'a .Steady increase in the number of divorces for many years, but the actual 'number, of divorced persons iti the country .is not altogether ;i good indication of• the extent of divorce, for a.high percentage of 'divorced persons remarry. 1. ■ ■ '

Tho constitution.^ of ■ the ■ population by marital status, in .the various provincial, .districts is. not', by any means uniform.--For example, Canterbury has ,a low proportion of single males and a corresponding high 'proportion of- married males; in' Westland the position is reversed. The. proportion of married females in Taranaki, Marlborough, and Nelson is high, and in Otago it is extremely low.

Widowers do not show ; much variation, but in the. case of widows the differences are more pronounced. Marlborough has a low proportion of wid-ows;-in Westland and Otago it is much higher than the average; Many of theso disparities r result from the abnormal age-constitution, of the- groups in cer-. tain districts, .for' age-cohstitutioii" of the provincial districts ' varies considerably.- '.""■'.•",■• It is worthy of. no.tc tbat:the proportions of legally separated: and divorced persons of both sexes are higher,..for 'Auckland and Wellington than-for any pother provincial district. ' ' .' ; OTHER COUNTRIES COMPARED. 'Some-idea of tho composition of New Zealand's population by .marital status as compared; with': that obtaining in-1 other countries 'inky be gained 'from a scrutiny of the next table. The propo.r- ] tions of never married,', married, widowed, and/divorced , per iOOO, of the total population, excluding hot specified cases, are shown for each sex, the data being limited to'pefsons aged, 20 years or over. The figures'have'been compiled from the official.'publications of the countries listed,, and are' for the, latest censuses for' which'data are available:-' ' Country. ; ; : Cens(is-. ';• :'.....! . ■; ' ■ Tear.. „':•-• . :■ .'-■',- >.' ■ ' Males. ' ■ - •■'-■'■ ■•■-'g>2- ■■ '2 I '■' S ■ . ■ -V' '' '..,":•';';•.'-?■ "■■ * «■' New Zealand.-,-.;.. 0192G-. ; 322 . 029 44 5 South Africa „;. .1926 ',' 304 -655 30, : 5 Australia ;.'..;.. 1921 346 ' 007 .44 3: England - & \Vales ' 192]'. 266 075 58 I, Canada :.;'..;..- 1921'- 299 "054 4li 1 Untd. Sts. (white): 1020 ' 256 " GT4 53 7 Norway '-.'... 1920 =• 334 094 Ci) 3 Italy .......'..; -1921 -" 292. C 39' 67 2* Poland ....... 1921 : 269-. G75- 55 1* Czecho-SlovaWa .■•1021-278 "002 - 58 s 2" Japan ..,. ; . i,./ : 1925'- .172 ■ .740 OS .20: Country!' 1' ' Censlis - :- ■ ■ ■■ '■ ; - Year;:- ■■• .•.•■'•'... : ■ ■ - / ■' ,' -■' Females. -.' ■:' '.- • ■". ' ;.',"V^: :£'>; . S Xew. Zealand „., 192G .253., 642 101 4 South Africa, ... Ip2(j 214 678 102 ' 6 Australia' '..... 1921' ,'27 i' 623 103 3 England & Wales 1921 283 S9O 120 1 Canada ....;. 1921' 217-. GBl 100 2 Untd. Sts. (white) 1920.- .-ISO. 082 124 8 Norway .;.... 1920" 338- 528 130 4 ■Italy.. ........: 1921/:. 250 ' 00V ' 147 ,'2* Poland ...... 1021 : 210- 614. 171 2* Czecho-Slovakla... 1921/ -230 ,-588 179 3 Japan ..,.1923 .69.. 720 185 -26 ■ *Inciudes legaiy sbp'arattons. • ' ' The.disparities revealed in this table aro extremely interesting. On: tho male side it would appear; that New Zealand has a somewhat Jiighi proportion of never •married,; a slightly proportion of married "men-, a low pi bportion of widowers, aiid" a-slightly high, proportion "of .'divorced. Amongst females New Zealand appears to have a fairly normal proportion of nevor-mar-ried and married women, alow proportion of. widows, and 'about a normal proportion of divorced.'' .

.' It must not be overlooked, however, that a comparison .of,this' nature cannot profitably bo made Without .taking: into account tho social' aiid' 'economic customs and conditions peculiar to each country. . -.':- •••--• ;' .