Partnership, living arrangements, and low birth weight: evidence from a population-based study on Spanish mothers.

Our analysis provides novel evidence regarding the effect of partnership status and household type on perinatal health in Spain. First, contrary to what has been observed in previous studies in Spain and elsewhere, our study shows that living without a partner has no effect on low birth weight. Second, we reveal that households including non-nuclear coresidents are associated with low birth weight suggesting that even in a basically familist societal context such as the Spanish one, the extended family does not fully protect against poor perinatal outcomes.