Iniciação sexual, primeira união e o nascimento do primeiro filho entre as jovens católicas no Brasil, 1996-2006

Abstract

This work aims to analyze the sexual, conjugal, and reproductive behavior among Catholic Brazilian women aged 15 to 24 years old. The main objective of this study is to examine the potential associations between age at first sexual intercourse, age at first marriage, age at first birth and attendance at religious services among Catholics in Brazil. More specifically, this research (1) assesses the probability of each event according to age; then (2) analyzes whether sequence and timing of first sexual intercourse, marriage and first birth are related to attendance at religious services; (3) lastly, whether these correlations changed between 1996 and 2006. The study uses data from the Demographic Health Surveys (DHSs) conducted in Brazil in 1996 and 2006. The study employs the discrete-time survival analysis, estimated from logistical regression, in order to study the occurrence of such events. Results show that the higher the attendance at church services, the lower the chance of sexual initiation, first marriage and first birth among young Catholic women in Brazil. Only in 2006 reproductive behavior seems unaffected by attendance at religious services. Finally, there is no significant difference between these associations during the period of analysis.