Marital status and cohabitation during pregnancy: relationship with social conditions, antenatal care and pregnancy outcome in France.

A survey of a representative sample of 5508 births in France in 1981 permitted the study of social characteristics of pregnant women, the medical care they received during their pregnancy and their pregnancy outcome, as a function of their marital status and whether or not they lived with the father of the child. Unmarried women living with the father (n = 412) like unmarried women living alone (n = 171), were more often younger, having their first baby and had a lower educational level than did married women living with the father (n = 4590). However, among the unmarried women, those living alone were in a more unfavourable position than those living with the father; in particular, they were more often less than 20 years old, had the minimum educational level required and were unemployed. Both groups of unmarried women had a higher preterm delivery rate than did married women, even after taking other risk factors into account in a logistic regression. The odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for pre-term delivery among unmarried mothers living without the father was 1.9 (1.0-3.4) and that for the unmarried cohabiting with the father was 1.6 (1.0-2.4). Thus, to fully appreciate the perinatal risks and medical needs during pregnancy, both the marital and cohabitational status of the women should be considered.