THE ROLE OF THE HUSBANDS RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION IN THE ECONOMIC AND DEMOGRAPHIC BEHAVIOR OF FAMILIES

Several recent studies suggest that in analyzing the effects of religi on on the economic and demographic behavior of families, attention sho uld be paid not only to the wife's affiliation but also to the husband 's. The present paper synthesizes this research: it reviews the mechan isms through which differences between the spouses' affiliations influ ence marital stability, female employment, and fertility, as well as t he empirical findings on these relationships. It also provides additio nal evidence on the linkage between the religious composition of union s and fertility behavior, based on data from the 1987-88 National Surv ey of Families and Households.