There are very few church marriages per year compared to the number of baptisms and confirmations in El Salvador. Salvadorans do not show much tolerance for alternative sexual identities, but have fairly readily come to accept new family identities. Many women raise children outside of marriage with multiple fathers. Single parenthood has become a norm, and married parents are an exception. Some of the challenge is due to the fact that poor families are unable to afford weddings of the sort that are culturally desirable. Many observers say that changes in family structure can be linked to migration patterns, which take a spouse out of the country for many years.
Abortion is illegal in El Salvador.
