The shift in the marital structure of Nepal between 1961 and 1971 has been analysed, and its implications for the CBR in 1971, Although there has been a slight increase in the age at marriage, over 90% of Nepali women were married by the ages of 20–24 years in 1971 and the overall marital structure of 1971 is more favourable to a higher CBR than the structure at the beginning of the decade. This is primarily due to a decline in the incidence of widowhood which has increased the proportions of potential child-bearing women and consequently the number of births. Thus shifts in the marital structure between 1961 and 1971 could have provided little impetus to a decline in the CBR of the country.

The number of persons attempting suicide in 1972–3 was related to the 1971 Census data by enumeration district in a defined area centred on Oxford City. Variations among enumeration districts in the number of attempters was partly explined by the age and marital state distribution of the population, but a few areas were identified where the high rates were not accounted for in this way. These included areas on council estates, both in the City and outside it, with marked indications of social disadvantage, and a socially mixed and probably rapidly changing inner city area. Persons attempting suicide were predominantly young and included relatively more women and more single people, but otherwise appeared to resemble the population of their immediate areas in terms of distribution by socio-economic group, housing conditions and indicators of social disadvantage. A model was fitted to the 1972–3 data to ‘predict’ the number of attempters in an enumeration district from the Census information. The fit was not entirely satisfactory, and suggested that there was a sub-group of districts with a near zero probability of producing an attempter which was not identifiable from the Census data. When fitted retrospectively to attempted suicide data for 1969 the performance of the model was poor. It was not possible to distinguish the effect of random variation from that of systematic change, but there was some evidence that certain areas with high attempted suicide rates in the City also showed a rapid increase in rates.

The variables maternal age, paternal age, and birth order are studied for possible effects on the human secondary sex ratio. Several multivariate models are applied to a set of over 1·4 million births to assess the effects of these three highly correlated variables. Also investigated is the polynomial regression model used by Novitski & Kimball (1958) in their approach to the same problem. Analysis of the present data shows a weak and negative association between sex ratio and birth order and the suggestion of a similar association with paternal age.

The differences between male and female performance in athletic track events at which both compete are compared. It is found that the difference between male and female performance as measured by world records is declining in all events and declining most rapidly in those events in which the differences at the present time are largest. Analysis of national track records for these same events shows considerable differences between different countries in average male/female differentials and the differences between males and females for some events in some countries is much smaller than world record differences.

It is concluded that social factors such as differing degrees of encouragement and differing levels of expectation are important factors in limiting female athletic performance.

The differences between male and female performance in free style swimming events are compared. It is found that the differences between male and female performance, as measured by world records, is declining in all events and declining most rapidly in those events in which the differences at the present time are largest. Analysis of national records for these events shows important differences between different countries in average male/female differentials.

A different set of physical and physiological constraints operate on swimming compared to track performance, but they would seem to be less important in influencing male/female differences. Social factors also seem to be less important in swimming than in track athletics in perpetuating performance differences but are nevertheless still operative.

Instead of divorce rates per 1000 married population, the actual divorce percentages expressed as the proportion of marriages contracted in successive years since 1911 are calculated from a random sample of 3392 first marriages in Amsterdam. The results show the highest divorce percentages for younger men, decreasing from 40% if they were married at 19 years of age to 12% if they were married at 30 years of age. Women attained these values if married at 17 and 28 years of age, respectively. The divorce percentage has increased from 10% for marriages contracted in 1911 to 20% for those contracted in the period 1941–45. The linear increase suggests that about 25% of marriages contracted in the period 1966–70 will end in divorce. This trend seems to depend on changes in the median age of marriage as well as on different divorce tendencies for men marrying at different ages.

It is hoped that the method of calculating divorce trends according to the year of marriage, and to specific age-groups, as used in this study, might yield more information about the range of the divorce problem than the more traditional methods of populations statistics.

A study has been made in a group of rural Oxfordshire villages of levels of similarity between husbands and wives for IQ, personality and some anthropometric characteristics. Significant levels of assortative marriage have been found in both verbal and performance IQ, personality ‘inconsistency’, stature, weight and some other bodily dimensions. Their nature has been analysed by time of marriage, birthplace and social class, all of which appear to have marked effects. On the other hand, length of courtship and distance apart of the partners' residences at marriage seem to be more or less inconsequential.

An account is given of the patterns of pre-marital, marital, and post-marital movement and age of marriage according to social class among the present inhabitants of a group of Oxfordshire villages.

There is controversy extending beyond that of whether family planning or population control measures should be promoted among various populations. Even when the decision has been made to provide family planning advice, information and service, debate often arises as to the best method of administering a family planning programme—whether to integrate it with maternal and child health (MCH) services, offer it post-partum, or provide it independently of all other health activities.

The Danfa Comprehensive Rural Health and Family Planning Project, Ghana, is investigating the general problem of health service delivery, including family planning, and is doing so with a firm commitment to efficient management, staff training and supervisory maintenance. An established research design and ongoing evaluation efforts, including cost and functional analyses, are an integral part of the project. While it is believed that the integrated MCH/Family Planning approach will yield optimal results in family planning acceptance (as well as reduction in morbidity and mortality), other alternatives of health care and family planning service delivery are being evaluated.