A Home, A Husband, and Now a Baby: The Implications of Premarital Conception in Gibraltar, 1960-1996 Siacie D.A. Burke A thesis submitted in confonnity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Phüosophy Graduate Department of Anthropology University of Toronto 8 Copyright by Stacie DA Bwke 1999 National Library Bibliothèque nationale ($1 of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395. nie Wellington OrtawaON K1AON4 Ottawa ON KIA ON4 Canada Canada The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence ailowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sel1 reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microfom, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/fih, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownershp of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fiom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. A Home, A Husband, and Now a Baby: The Impücations of Remarital Conception in Gibraltar, 1960-1996 Doctor of Philosophy 1999 Stacie D.A. Burke Graduate Department of Anthropology University of Toronto The majority of studies examining risk factors for adverse infant outcomes of pregnancy, such as low birthweight and prcmaturc. dclivcry. eiher dircctly examine the effects of rnother's marital status at binh or incorprate molher's marital status at bhth into statistical -1s as an important confounding factor. The p~icnririleffeçt of motha's mitritai status ut conception, however, hrts ben largely overiooked as a possible risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcornes. This study focuses on assessing the risks of premarital conception among mothers in the Mdtemnean community of Gibraltar, ri smd1 Rritish overseas territory located at the southern tip of Spain. Thc study inclucks ail wanicn who dclivcred tlieir first liveborn, singleton infant in Gibraltar betwren the years 1960 to 1996. Thciugh dl molhrs (n=3284) in the study were married at the time of their first biriti, som 20 percent (n=672) conceiveci out of wedlock and subsequentiy marriecl in the intcrval kiwwn conception and birth. Losistic regression analysis is used to evaluate which factors are significantly associatèd wirh predicting premarital conceivers. Subsequent analyses consider any effects of premarital conception on two adverse infant outcomes, full-term low birthweight (4500 gram) and prernarurity (<37 weeks gestation), and infant feeding choice (breast- or artificial-feeding) as one proxy of psi-panum molhenng behaviour. Foilowing in the anthropological tradition of community contextudizrition, interpretations of the empiricai analyses are grou- in Gibraltarian discourse on sexuality, marriage, and chilâbearing. Results indicate that premaritd conception represents a signifiant risk factor for both premarure &livery and choosing to artificiai feed. Premaritd conception is na significantly associated with an increased odds of full-term low birthweight. Severtil possible pathways are offered to accwnt for the heightened risk of premture delivery, each centered around the likelihood that premarital conceivers are exposeci to higher levels of stress and anxiety in the ante- natal period relative to rnaritally-conceiving women. The possibihty of a differentiai nature in the mothering role adopteâ by premarital conceivers is examined with respect to infant feeding choices. Realizing early on in the Ph.D. program that the process of doing research was as important as its ultimate culmination in this thesis, 1 eagerly awaited the opporzunity to recognize all of the -pplewho belped dong the way. It seems that moment is mwat hanô. My utmost thanks must first be paid to my cioctaal supervisor, Dr. Larry Sawchuk 1 sincerely klieve that even the closest scrutiny of a thesaurus could not yield enough adjectives to adequately describe Lm's nature as a supervisor; instead, 1 will settle fm just oiie - outstanding. It was Larry who inîroduced me to research in Gibraltar and helped me to immerse myself very quickly in fieldwork. Throughout the research and the writing-up, Larry had the uncanny ability to inspire me and to challenge me. Always accessible and extremely practiced in the art of patience, Larry could aiways be iurnrd io for support wkn it was needed most. Thrwgh his carefui supervision and knd hiendship, Larry instilied in me a strong appreciation for the Wnies hard work, dedication, and focus. At the same time. be taught me to be diverse and flexible in our research collaborations. Even as 1 finish the PB.D., 1 am looking forward to continued coliaboration wilfi Lmy. the only question king which project to dig into first. To the memkrs of my core cornmittee, Dr. David Begun and Dr. Bob Shrrley, 1 offer sincttrt: thanks for following ~hroughliom proposai [O product, for &tailed readings of the thesis, and the critical feedback and encouraging wmds which followed. Many of the& suggestions have either already knincorporated or wilI be specificrilly targeted in future fieldwork. Thanks are also extended tu Dr. Icrry Melbyc who carefull y read the thesis and made substantial contributions to the defence. In his rok as exterml apgrriiser, Dr. Alan Swedlund was invaluable, providing a completely fresh pcrspeclive on thc work His extensive comrnents, &t;iileû observations and final critique were al1 spot-on and will greatiy enhance the direction of future research in this area. 1 must also ackmwledge the Division of Social Sciences at the Scarborough campus where I worked Myover the length of the Ph.D. program. To h.Ted Relph. Chair, and Audrey Glaskrgen and Carole Tuck, 1 Uiank yw for your hospitaiity and suppon and for allowing me to foster my burgeoning work ethic early on in such a stable and welcoming environment. The diverse faculty of social scientists in the Division kqt me weil educated in the world wtside of anthropology whiïe providing a much appeciated sew of belonging. Wiihin anthropology, Drs. Frances Burton. Marti Latta, and Jennifer niompson are sincerely thanked for their open doors. counscl, and friendship. There were mny Gibraltarians who were instrumental in the success of this research. Dr. Sam Benady, pediatrician, and Sister Paula Galliano, midwife, both of St. Bernard's Hospital, were extremely supportive of the research initiative and to them 1 am extremely appreciative for fiicilitating the 'birth' of this thesis. 1 would imagine that this is the fust time you've sen someone labour for five yrs! Along with the midwives and staff in Mateniity, 1 am pleased to have the opportunity to thank you al1 publicly, not only far beiieving in the research, but also for tfie exîrernely welcoming and friendiy nature of the department and for all of the conversation and tea breaks dong the way. 1 also wish to thank Rosernary Cox, Gibraltar's Heath Visita, for aii of hm assistance. insight. and hospitality at the pi-mial clinics in the Hdth Centre. Tommy Finlayson, Government Archivist, provided much appreciated assistance in negotiating my way through the coIlection of recent historicai documents available in the archives. TO those Gibraftarians who agreed to be interviewai and who necessarily remah nameless - your contributions give this Wsis a richness which otherwise would not have ken possible. 1 thank you sincerely for your sharp insight and frank openness. Finally, and on a more social note, 1 wmld iike to collectively thank all of the Gihaltarians who were simply overflowing with warm welcornes, kindness, and friendship chng the five rnonh of fieldwork I undertmk in the community. Our travels, our dimrs, and ouf trtlks al1 retain a special place in my memory. On the home front, 1 owc the Iargest dcbi of gratitude to my fiimily for tfieir enduring support and long-term understînding of the unique &man& which the doctoral program must necessarily impose. To my parents, Dianne and Demis Burke, I owe particular thanks. The stmcture of my life. induding the PhD., is only possible because of the soiid foundation you have both provided. II was also my family which kepi me grounded in social reality and to dl, including Mikc. nrcnda, Scott. Alcx. Myrna, and Chules, 1 thank you &arly. 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 1 1.2 Thesis Objectives ........................................................................................................ 6 1.3 Chapter Surnmiuies ..................................................................................................... 7 CHAITER2 PREMARITAL SEXUALITY AND PREGNANCY................................................. 10 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 10 2.2 Non-Conjugal Sexual intercourse: Putting Self 'ot risk ' for pregnanq ....................... 10 2.3 Extra-Marital Pregnancy: F~tcrorsInfluencing the Decision to Legitimize ................... 14 2.4 The Influence of Marital Status on Pregnancy Outcornes............................................ 17 3.1 Prelude ......................................................................................................................