Analysis of the fertility histories of women born between 1850 and 1900, as given in the Utah Population Database (UPDB), reveals the effect of the number, as well as the sex composition, of previous children on birth-stopping and birth-spacing decisions. Specifically, agricultural and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) households—two sub-populations that might have placed different values on male and female children for economic, social, and/or cultural reasons—showed a distinct preference for male children, as expressed by birth stopping after the birth of a male child and shorter birth intervals in higher-parity births when most previous children were female. Remarkably, women in both the early "natural fertility" and the later contraceptive eras used spacing behavior to achieve a desired sex mix. Although the LDS population had relatively high fertility rates, it had the same preferences for male children as the non-LDS population did. Farmers, who presumably had a need for family labor, were more interested in the quantity than in the sex mix of their children.

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This paper examines the determinants of union dissolution among first marriage, second marriage, and common-law unions via an event history analysis of the fourth panel of the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID). Results suggest that unemployment and other potentially challenging employment situations are associated with higher odds of dissolution, among first marriage unions in particular. The factors that predict union dissolution are found to differ, both across union types and within common-law unions by region (Quebec versus elsewhere in Canada).Keywords: union dissolution, family instability, unemployment, cohabitation. Résumé Cet article examine les déterminants de la dissolution des premiers et deuxièmes mariages et des unions de fait au moyen de l'analyse de l'historique d'un événement du quatrième jury de l'Enquête sur la dynamique du travail et du revenu (EDTR). Les résultats indiquent que le chômage et les autres situations d'emploi potentiellement difficiles sont associés à une plus grande probabilité de dissolution, surtout parmi les premiers mariages. On a constaté que les types de facteurs qui prédisent la dissolution d'une union varient à la fois dans les types d'union et au sein du groupe des unions de fait par région (le Québec par rapport au reste du Canada).