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INDEPTH: MARRIAGE
By the numbers: Canadian Families
CBC News Online | November 30, 2004

The Vanier Institute of the Family released a new report in November 2004 on the state of families in Canada. Here are the results of their findings based on national censuses and other data collected by Statistics Canada:


The family of Canadian astronaut Marc Garneau in Cocoa Beach, Fla., in anticipation of his November 2000 shuttle launch. (CP PHOTO/Canadian Space Agency)
86 per cent
Proportion of Canadians living in private households with relatives.

9.9 per cent
Fraction of population who live alone.

12 per cent
Percentage of people in Quebec living alone (the highest rate in the country).

1 million
Number of seniors living alone; 77 per cent are female.

3.1
Number of people in the average Canadian family, down from 3.71 in 1971.

55 per cent
Proportion of people aged 15 to 29 who changed their address between 1996 to 2001. They are the age group that is most likely to move.


Children play in a kindergarten class in Toronto. (CP PHOTO)
51 and 48 per cent
The percentage of women and men, respectively, who can expect to marry before age 50. That compares to 65 per cent (for men and women) in 1981.

55 per cent
Proportion of people in Newfoundland who are legally married (the highest rate in the country).

40 per cent
Proportion of people in Quebec and the two territories who are legally married (the lowest rate in the country).

27 per cent
Percentage of Canadians who are single.

9.5 per cent
Proportion of Canadians living common-law. Quebec has the highest provincial rate at 17 per cent.

70,000
Number of same-sex couples in common-law relationships.

27.7 years old
Average age of a first-time mother, compared to 24.4 in the early 1970s.


Calgary Flames centre Jarome Iginla poses with bride Kara Kirkland after their wedding in August 2003. (AP Photo)
38 per cent
Percentage of all marriages ending in divorce prior to the 30th wedding anniversary.

84 per cent
Proportion of families with children who have two or more people employed either full-time or part-time.

Six out of 10
Number of people aged 20 to 24 who live with their parents. That compares to four out of 10 back in 1981.

More than 16 per cent
Portion of full-time working mothers who do another 60 hours of housework and child care each week.

Three out of 10
Number of babies born to mothers who are not legally married, compared to two out of 10 in 1991.

10 per cent
Percentage of children living in poverty.

51 per cent
The proportion of families in Toronto that consist of legally married couples with children (the highest rate in the country).

14.2 per cent
The percentage of common-law couples with children in Sherbrooke and Trois-Rivières (the highest rate in the country).





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QUICK FACTS:
Marriage and Divorce

Top Characteristics People Want in a Partner

1. Honesty
2. Kindness
3. Respect
4. Compatibility
5. Humour

Top Reasons Why People Marry

1. Marriage signifies commitment
2. Moral values
3. Children should have married parents
4. The natural thing to do
5. Financial security

Top Reasons Why Couples Divorce

1. Different values and interests
2. Physical and emotional abuse
3. Alcohol and drugs
4. Infidelity
5. Career-related conflict

SOURCE: Vanier Institute of the Family
CBC COVERAGE:
Common law unions more popular: survey

Common-law splits don't have to be 50-50: top court

Fewer Canadian marriages end in divorce

CBC News: the fifth estate - The Bishop of Bountiful
NEWS ARCHIVE:
CBC Archives
Alimony Agony

Nov. 29, 2004
Family demographics changing, says Vanier Family Institute

Oct. 22, 2002
Weddings and families less popular, Statistics Canada
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Vanier Institute of the Family
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