Going back a little farther it was not uncommon to list your religion and what church you were a member of. Going back a little farther than that, if you were a candidate for an executive position at a company, they might interview your spouse as well.
afaik the line of thinking were : religious people were more honest, happily married more stable (ie, your relationship wasn't a source of stress/instability), and being a parent made you seem more responsible.
Nowadays cynicism has inverted those thoughts:
Religious -- hypocrites. Married -- soon will be divorced, may get pregnant. Parent -- how irresponsible for the environment.
