ABSTRACT
For Maoris, getting married and having children is one of the most important aims in life, especially for women. They regard those who remain single as not merely foolish but neglecting a duty. Reckoned by age-groups, the proportion of Maori adults who are or have been married is consistently higher than that of the Pakehas, the proportion of the never-married consistently lower. (The never-married make up a larger proportion of the total adult Maori population, because of the high percentage under 25.) Maoris also tend to marry younger.
