Census reflects Canada's changing family portrait

Canada's latest family portrait is far from traditional as mom and dad are no longer heading up the household. Now, common-law couples, single parents and even same-sex couples are taking the reins, according to a Statistics Canada report released Wednesday.

Two decades ago, married couples made up 80 per cent of families. In 2006, that number plunged to 68.6 per cent.

At the same time the number of single parents and common-law couples heading up families has increased significantly. Twenty years ago, common-law couples made up 7.2 per cent of families while single parents headed up 12.7 per cent of families.

Today, common-law partners make up 15.5 per cent and single parents make up 15.9 per cent.

About 23 per cent of all common-law couples in Canada live in Montreal and Quebec, the study reports. Between 2001 and 2006, the number of common-law partners increased 20.3 per cent to make up about 44.4 per cent of the national total.

Highlights from the census data

"It really does have a lot to do with the fact that it's much more acceptable to live together before you get married and in a lot of cases, people don't bother getting married because thre really isn't any cultural imperative on them to do so," said Kathy Lynn, a certified family educator, speaking with CTV's Canada AM Wednesday.

"It really isn't a surprise when you think about it," she continued. "We don't see it as a big problem."

Even the single-parent family portrait is changing. The study found the number of men heading up their families alone increased at twice the rate (14.6 per cent) of women (6.3 per cent).

However, women still remain the dominant single parent at about 80 per cent compared to only 20 per cent of men. That's because women are more likely to get custody, Lynn said.

Same-sex married partners made the most gains, boasting a 32.6 per cent increase between 2001 and 2006. That was five times the pace of traditional opposite-sex married couples.

They represented 0.6 per cent of all couples in Canada in 2006.

This was the first time the census counted same-sex married couples in their survey, reflecting Canada's decision to legalize same-sex marriage across the country in 2005.

Half of all same-sex couples live in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Toronto had the largest same-sex couple families.

Kids leaving home later in life

Kids continue to stay at their parents home, or return to it, for longer periods of time, the study showed. This is a trend that has steadily grown for the past five years.

43.5 per cent of 4 million young adults (20-29) lived with their parents in 2006 compared to 41.1 per cent in 2001
Young adults living in Saskatchewan (31.8 per cent) and Alberta (31.7 per cent) were the least likely to stay living at their parents home in 2006. The largest proportion of young adults living at home were found in Newfoundland and Labrador (52.2 per cent) and Ontario (51.5 per cent).
Toronto is the city that has the highest percentage in the country of kids living at home. Nearly six in 10 (57.9 per cent) young adults lived with their parents, well above the national average of 43.5 per cent.

The trend could be due to a number of issues, said Anil Arora, director general of the census program at Statistics Canada.

"(They could be) staying in school a little bit longer, waiting a little bit before they form a relationship, a union, it could be because of financial difficulties," he said in an interview from Ottawa with Canada AM.

In total, the census enumerated 8,896,840 families in 2006.

Comments are now closed for this story

V
said

About working for $55 per week. If you use the inflation calculator on the Bank of Canada website, that would work out to $311 today. That's roughly the same as working for minimum wage today. Average rent in Toronto (1 bdr) today is $884 which would've been $115 in 1969..not sure what average rent actually was in 1969.

Chris
said

This comment is mostly to "Mel" about the cost of living in Alberta. I work in the oil patch out here (moved here from Saskatchewan thinking the same way you do). Alberta ain't easy to live in lady. At least not where I am living. I left living with my mother at the age of 22 and I'm really beginning to wish I would have stayed there. The cost of food, gas for the car, POWER (a really big one), heat (another really big one) and all of those other needed things are unreal here where I am. I'm 27 bringing home close to $40,000 a year and I'm finding it to be a real challenge to live out here. Health care is nuts out here. For a single guy I found out it'll cost $250.00 a month! Think living here in Alberta is glamorous now???? Yeah the wages are high, but everything else is even higher. I wish people would stop thinking Alberta is "all that and then some" when it's actually worse off in the long run. A woman I know from New Bruinswick was only here for 3 months and she headed back there cause the cost of living here is insane.

Rob
said

I particularly like the fact that a family educator indicates that a woman is more likely to get custody. Yet the courts swear that this is no longer the case. Just goes to show how stacked the system truly is and the stats still bear that out. My own situation bears this out. Trust me.

Goldee
said

I feel fortunate to have my 23 year old son living at home. I feel sad for the young adults subjected to such criticism. I would rather my son live at home and receive an education then be stuck in a dead end job. The older generation should walk a mile in their shoes before judging. The world we live in today is not the world we lived in 25 years ago.

Garret
said

Al -

Thats why I made the example of 20 years ago. Your 1969 example is almost 40 years ago. If you wanted to go back even further, $50 a week was a lot of money back in 1905. Then again, paying $10 for a popcorn and soda at the movie theatre was unheard of as well.

Back in the 80's and on onward, average incomes have not kept up with inflation. Even within the past 5 years alone, the cost of living has skyrocketed. In Ottawa 5 years ago, you could have purchased a descent single home for $140k, now that very same house goes for $290k, and I will not even get into hydro and gas prices, let alone other areas like Alberta and Toronto. Yet, wages have remained mostly the same since that time.

I am not trying to say that either side is right, just that those who read these comments should not feel bad for their current situation if they constantly give it their all. Those parents know that their children are striving for more, and don't mind helping them out.

That, and I was just making a bad joke about the tradition of how the parents always tell their kids how easy they got it. My Grandfather used to do that to my mother all the time, and her to me =). I had no desire to offend anyone.

John
said

Believe it or not, most social reseach has found that married couples are happier, healthier and have better sex lives overall. Finally, marital status is the number one indicator of whether a child will grow up in poverty. Kids with married parents have huge advantages.

Brenda
said

It's easy to point fingers at others. Remember, a lot of children live at home to take care of their parents. They put their lives on hold for their parents. Some kids never talk to their parents.

Also, a lot of kids would be homeless if they lived away from home.

Dennis
said

We have a business and hire young people and it is a lot more difficult to hire someone to do manual labor now than it was 20 years ago.
Pull up your socks and quite blaming the government and society for your lack of ambition.

MB
said

It is amazing that today's younger generation is the first generation in Alberta history to have never known recessionary hard times. Their parents suffered through the long drought of the NEP Depression Years of the 1980s. Their off-spring at age 17-21 largely don't remember much of anything before the mid-1990s. Most of them, especially those in the trades, have come of age in an era of unprecedented prosperity and opportunity. Many of them are now buying new trucks and condos in feverish numbers. Life is good and the future looks bright, as long as the Feds don't swoop in with ill-fated Kyoto and force the Canadian economy into a hard reverse.

Averil
said

Regarding your story on single mothers needing more assistance. I am a single mother with 2 kids, 14 and 10 and do not receive any child support. I have a job and am able to support my kids...if women on assistance receive more money my taxes will keep increasing and then I will no longer be able to support my kids! Perhaps they should get jobs too!

Mike
said

We pay such high taxes and yet in France and Sweden universities are tuition free and healthcare covers everything including perscriptions. Why can't we look at Europe as an example instead of the sinking ship south of the border with a $9 trillion deficit and where 50 million have no healthcare?

TT
said

My son lives at home has a good job and a brand new car. He is saving money to get himself into the real estate market AND helping us out as he pays rent. This is not an imposition but a strictly sensible way to deal with the rising costs of houses, utilities, taxes etc. He plans on getting directly into his home and you need the financial stability and the nest egg to get a decent home and reasonable rates. I'd rather when they leave they are in a stable financial position and they won't have to come home and heavens knows maybe I'll need somewhere decent to live sometime in my life and really, their rent is better in my pocket than in someone elses.

Mary
said

We should all keep in mind that these are just numbers. Every "number" has a story behind it and we are not privy to it. We should just accept that times are changing and not make blanket judgments.

Joe C
said

I'm 19, just starting my second year of university, and while I will admit that some members of my generation are lazy, that does not apply to everyone. When I was being brought up, I had to earn everything I got, and while I hated it at the time, I'm much happier for it.

I was fortunate to have a good-paying summer job, so I can afford to live away from home. For all I know, that could change, and living at home or asking my parents for money may be my only option. My point is that it's nothing short of insulting when people like Steve, Al and Daphnie make sweeping assumptions about my generation when they don't know the entire picture.

Tim
said

In concurrence with many of these comments. I too believe it is not the fault of the child or the parent, but the fault of society for this large increase in the number of adults who still live at home with their parents. Education costs too much and a bachelor's gets you not nearly half as far as it used to, living expenses are way too high, and wages remain low. It is truly the fault of the system. However, with the impending job vacuum created by the baby boomers retiring, I can easily expect to see a pantheon of opportunities arising as more and more jobs will be left open...

Al
said

Garret, you're pretty funny, "Basically the same money" I started working in 1969, and although I really wanted a job as a switcher in radio, it only paid $48 a week so I went for the big bucks in a grocery store at $55 dollars a week. Stop talking and start reading!

Mum
said

I am so upset by the negative comments to young people.
My eldest daughter is in college, still living at home and just got a job to help us out. I am unable to work and costs of living even as a couple in our 40's is difficult, so she went out and got a job to help the family.
Not all young people have it all. My children do not have all the game systems. They have one that is very outdated and cost next to nothing.
They don't ask for anything and I feel horrible for not being able to provide them with certain things but that's life sometimes.
So please don't bash every young person.

Garret
said

Most of these comments do not surprise me at all.
To all the younger adults not in the ideal income situation, I wouldn't pay much attention to the comments being made by the older readers. I bet if we went back 20 years, and told our young adult counterparts that they have to pay $20k a year for education, $800-$1200 a month for rent (not including activities), $1/litre for fuel, and other ever
increasing costs *hydro etc..* while making basically the same income, that they would throw a fit, only to have their older peers say the EXACT same thing as they now preach to us. Seems to be a circle and tradition that keeps getting passed on. Mabye we could
relate more if we had fish in our platform shoes.

Mum
said

Like Doni I too love having my girls at home.
One is still in high school but I have one 20 yr old that is still home and I'm fine with that.
I don't understand how some parents can say they can't wait til their children leave home. THat's just not me.
I was out on my own at 16 and was very independent.

Young people today staying home so long I believe is down to the insecurities in the world. Kids today are raised to almost be afraid to leave the house and understandably so... it's a scary world, especially for women.
It's obviously also down to the expense of moving out today.
The price of rent alone is outragious.
I know of a young woman who is sharing a house with 3 other girls and they each pay $600./mth rent!

Al
said

Us "older folks" aren't as stupid as some of you seem to think.
Firstly, I realize that all young adults are not lazy ok? there is proof right here on this forum gauging from some of the posts, but it takes many to affect statistics and statistics show that more and more young adults are staying home longer! that being said there is a defensive flavour to most of your posts like you're being attacked and you respond with your own versions of the truth.
For instance "there were more jobs available" to me way back then compared to now? Ontario is presently showing huge growth, low inflation rates, and more financial avenues for people to get an education than ever before. Way back when I was looking for work, a very small percentage of the population had a post secondary education, so most of us had to work "60 or 70 hours a week" to make ends meet.
It's no different today than it was then, if you want to get ahead you have to pay your dues and if you happen to pay a little more than the next person, you'll get ahead a little faster than they will. Better get used to it because it probably won't change in the future either.

Amanda
said

I find it very interesting how everyone's outlook is different...some say they have no choice but to stay at home, others say that they are doing just fine on their own. Well I fit into the group of independent 20-somethings - 28 to be exact - who are doing just fine on their own. I moved out of my parents' home when I was 18 years old. I left a small prairie town for the city. I attended school, received a certificate and have been working ever since. Though I may not have the career that I love, I am able to own a car and have a roof over my head, plus enjoy several other luxuries. Yes, things can be tough sometimes, but you just have to adapt. I have gotten this far in life without having anything "handed" to me.

GW
said

All you young (sane) hard working Torontonians come move to Winnipeg. Cost of living is way cheaper. My three kids (all 18+) are still living at home perusing post secondary education. They are able to work during the summer and pay their own way through school. All I half to do is house and feed them.
PS � I love having them at home and they can stay as long as they like.

Karen
said

I've been a single parent for the last 16 years. Two boys 19 and 22. My youngest is working nights, and attempting to pick up 8 missing high school credits at an adult learning center. If he achieves his diploma, I'll cover college and living expenses (if he continues to work at least part time). I think parents should give their older children a 'hand up', but not 'hand outs'. I brought the older son back into the 'nest' for education purposes. He finally got his high school diploma (solely at my expense). That was a year ago - I'm still waiting for him to get a job....He's a professional mooch. If not from me, then from his friends. I'd love him to take training to get into a trade, but it's the old saying, 'you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink'. I don't really know what happened to him but I've cut the 'reins' and won't be there to help until he holds down the same job for at least 6 months. Then there'll be a 'hand UP' not OUT. In summary, I think if older children demonstrate responsibility and the parent/s are able to supplement them for greater independence/success, then it's a win/win situation. I'm a baby boomer, still working, because I'm really still supporting three people.

Fred
said

I am 26 and yes I still live at home with my parents and I will probably do so until I get married or they ask me to move out because it makes no sense for me to go live in a crummy apartment alone when I can live comfortably at home while helping with the rent and making savings. It is not a question of money, I have a master's in accounting and I already make more then both my parents combined so I can afford to move out and when I do so I will probably be able to buy a property in cash and live comfortably for the rest of my life. My parents are perfectly happy and so am I so I don't see the problem.

Po
said

I left my parents place when I was 19 and besides getting a little help to pay for 1.5 semesters of my university studies, I've never required their financial help for anything... of course I did not live in luxury for my university years but I also managed to finish them without a single cent in debt.

Kids should suck it up, work/study 70 hours a week for 4-5 years and at the end of it have the tools to start a sucessful career while they're relatively young. I'm 25, so I didn't do this when tuition was cheap, I live in Quebec, so I pay taxes through my teeth and I went to school in Ontario (engineering), so I paid the high tuition fees. Oh, and no bursaries, because although my parents didn't pay for all of my education or anything like that, they are well off and that's what matters for most bursaries.

Daphnie
said

Kids now a days don't want to make sacrifices and have no shame taking everything they can get from hard working parents. Anyone over 25 should be quite capable of looking after themselves. Let the parents enjoy a bit of their hard earned money.

Raymond
said

I couldn't agree more with Jay. I have witnessed far too many individuals of this generation who expect entitlement to their parent's world without having earned it! Earning requires effort and sacrifice and the acquisition of responsibility - something far too many parents fail to pass on to their children. Stop creating dependency states of our youth and teach or encourage them to take risks and how to grow up responsibly.

sls
said

It is interesting to see how split the comments are on the concept of not leaving as soon as you can. I left home when I was 17 and off to CEGEP and never went back. Did I struggle..absolutely. I also went to a major city with a new husband and we had no jobs. Talk about relationship stress. Would it have been easier for us to go home possibly but I wouldn't change that. However, on the other side of things my brother who is 30 is still at home for where they live the rental rate is less than 0.5% (including the roach infested dives). He works hard, helps my folks out and is saving to buy a house. We were treated exactly the same by my parents. I don't find it fair to automatically judge anyone because they choose a different path than the one you chose. The reality is that life is a chain of events that we as individuals create and some people have the personalities to take risks and some don't, despite encouragement from loved ones and friends.

Jon
said

For all of you older folks criticizing my generation for our unwillingness to work for a decent living, here are some facts that you haven't considered. You were entering the workforce at the start of a population boom and jobs were plentiful, and even without 1-2 years experience or a university degree, it was possible to support yourself. Like Amanda mentioned, boomers aren't retiring immediately when they are eligible, so decent jobs are virtually impossible to get without the 1-2 years experience AND a Bachelor's degree, or in many cases a Master's. Consider also that a student today is coughing up close to $20,000 a year to go to school full time (if they choose to live on their own) so it makes financial sense to stay at home during the 4-7 years that one is at school. And add in to that the fact that the majority of students are graduating with a massive debt which takes time to repay. This means that the average young adult won't be able to support his/herself in any standard of living until the age of 25-26. Most 18-24 year olds are wanting to leave home, but can't because of our economic reality. As for the accusations of laziness, think how willing you would be to work 50-60 hours per week (often at minimum wage) to live in a rundown apartment in a bad part of town. My basic point is that you can't generalize: not all young people are lazy, and not all old folks are perfect.

Gary
said

I would say a lot of the changing demographics is a result of the widening gap between the haves and the have nots..forcing kids to stay home longer...forcing both parents to work and thus causing stress to the relationship and moire divorces and thus more single parents ..and more common law relationships as they dont want to get burned again and thus protect against failed marriages. All these cause a social change and patterns. The question is whether these new dynamics are good or bad or just the way it is and we must adapt/adjust.

Joanne
said

Who says that you all have to live in Toronto (or other large cities)? I was born and raised in Toronto, however in my 30s I moved north of Toronto, up the 400 hwy, and never looked back. Sure, I work in Toronto, but I would never live there again, the cost of living is less, north of the city, the air is cleaner, and there is virtually no crime. When my boys move out, I know they will live locally, will be able to afford to live, and probably work in Toronto to make a decent wage. Think outside of the box people, move out of the big cities.

Mel
said

Wow reading these comments makes me realise how much like the US we really are becoming and why its ALMOST useless to vote...For people to think we should be struggling to get by (other then in Alberta) is insane. Most of our parents were new immigrants who definitely struggled to attain a life that would allow their children to prosper...instead we are second/third generation Canadians who are required to built a larger debt at a young age (university fees) work more hours, get paid less, and pay more to live.... And really...is this (like all the other reports) going to do anything..what a waste of money. I am a 33 year old single mother of a 1 5year old and could have provided this information years ago...but again...what does it matter? The rich get richer and the poor get poorer!

Carolina
said

My husband and I were able to buy 2 cars and a house at the age of 26. We don't have university degrees, only skilled trades jobs. Our earning power is maxxing out now in our 50s. We know our kids will be living with us until they have post grad degrees. That's what it takes now in the GTA. Our kids know it too.

Anne
said

Everyone's situation is different. Some adults will remain with their parents due to various reasons:

* Hard to get a start right out of university with a huge debt over their heads
* Unable to find a decent paying full time job to cover rent, utilities, debts from school, transportation, and various other expenses.

Perhaps, the "child" has chosen to stay with their parents to help them out if they're approaching retirement and having difficulties themselves. Seniors do not receive what they deserve in a pension to help them survive. Many will have been put on fixed income and their standard of living will have declined. A lot of retirees will eventually live below the poverty line. Perhaps their children have decided to help them, as their parents helped them through the formative years of their lives.

In some circumstances, it has nothing to do with the parents and how they brought up their children. In other instances, yes, the child might feel they deserve to maintain the same lifestyle.

So, before judging someone for staying with their parents longer, remember every person is their own unique individual that will differ from others' in society.

Gina
said

I agree with Eric's comments. As companies increase the level of duties in job description, the pay does not match it. Things continue to get more expensive (housing), but it is not reflected in our wages. We are expected to basically run a Company for $10/hr. And the reason students stay in school for longer is because at 17, what child knows what they want to do in life. The more they get exposed to the outside world, the more ideas they get on what they want to do. I think highschools should broaden the view of what kind of professions are available to them (not just doing general coverage of science, math and business) expand it to say this is what you can do in the business field etc..

Amanda Robertson
said

As a student who is putting herself through college, AND living independently I can honestly say that not everyone from 20-29 feels they should not be responsible for their own lives. My family does not have the means to support themselves, let alone myself, and three younger siblings. When you can't get help from parents, and you don't qualify for living expenses as part of student loans, have no cosigner for private loans, and no other resources. You stay at home. Simple as that. You cannot get a job (quality job) these days without an education. Most people are unable to step out of highschool into a career anymore.

Baby boomers aren't all retiring when they reach retirement age. Jobs aren't available in many fields for people without experience as result. Starting out isn't as simple as taking responsibility, there are other circumstances that play a part in everyone's life. To generalize that EVERY person of this age group is used to a certain standard of living that is quite assuming. I have worked at least one job for the past 10 years though it has generally been two jobs or more and went to school full time just to live.

Kelly
said

I also feel that many youth today stay at home solely for the comfort level, and to pad their savings accounts so that they can maintain the lifestyle they are used to.

In many countries young adults stay at home because of strong family units and the need to assist their families.

Sadly, in Canada it just boils down to money, money, money.

scott
said

This was a foreseeable problem. But all the greedy Torontorians love to drive the price of just about everything up just to add money to their already gold filled cofers. I for one must have been one of the lucky ones, I have a gov't job. I was born and raised in Sask and left home when I was 18. As for who is to blame for this epidemic I say it is the parents. Heaven forbid that you send your child into the work force and they have to actually work 8 hours a day in the hot sun. Or that they don't have their play stations, computers, hi def TV's and all the other creature comforts that the parents provide for them. I do agree that the price of housing is out of control in every major city in Canada, but the parents have to give that gentle push out the door.

Alex Sz
said

At 17 I left home, at 21 I started a business, at 27 I made more than my parents combined and now at 36, I am doing fine. Oh, I don't live in Toronto! At 21, I lived in a room and paid over $500 in rent. In today's dollars, that's about $1200 and that's without utilities.

Jay
said

Eric: You sound like you feel entitled to work in a "stable" environment, and that it is everyone else's responsibility to provide employment to you.

It is an attitude of kids expecting to have their parents' living standard when they move out, plus this attitude of feeling they don't have to work for it, that makes me leery about my generation.

Don't blame capitalism for this - blame liberalism's quest to remove responsibility from our lives.

Zach
said

Or these kids might find it hard to work 3 jobs (as I did) simultaneously go to school full-time (as I did) and have nothing to eat. It's very easy to tell people that they're lazy and don't want to make sacrifices, but I don't consider working sixty hours a week to live in a part of town that's inundated with police and ambulance sirens much of a choice. So before you dazzle us with more self-righteousness and your useless advice, remember that things, not just kids, change.

Al
said

Steve's right, many young adults don't want to leave the comfort of the parental home. I left home at 18 and moved into a one room apartment with nothing but a suitcase and a bed. I slowly bought what I needed, but it took a long time. A big part of the problem is the parents who can't stand the thought of their kids going without. If you don't push them out of the nest, how will they learn to fly?

Doni
said

I as a mother prefer my kids to live with me as long as they want even tho they are independant. As a mother, I enjoy them being around with me as well as helping them in any situation they would be facing. In some way it helps them in financial matter etc. Most of all I love my girls to be with me and I know that they are safe.

Nick T
said

I lived on my own for four years but was forced to move back home due to the expenses. Juggling a student loan, credit card debt, high rent rates, even though I have two jobs. The fact is it costs too much to live in Toronto for someone who is starting or trying to pursue a new career. Only the financially secure can afford the big city.

Ed
said

Here's a thought, how about less government jobs, less socialist attitutes, and we train some more plumbers, electricians, and bricklayers.

damien
said

There is so much opportunity in Alberta for people willing to work hard. I am 27, live with my fiance, own a car, own a home, and have enough money to have a great lifestyle and be able to save for the future. Yes, costs are rising, but so are wages out here. Both my parents worked for the government, and I am already making as much as they were when they retired.

Steve
said

Many "kids" are staying at their parents home far too long because they expect the same standard of living when they first move out, that they are accustomed to at their parents home. These "kids" should realize that sacrifices have to be made to their living standards in order to move out and grow as an adult.

Eric
said

Regarding the young adults at home. This should have been foreseeable a long time ago. Constant instability and uncertainty in the private workforce, sky-rocketing living costs (especially in Toronto), and stagnant wage increases. I'm 28, and have now realised that the only way for any such security, and decent lifestyle away from home, is a gov't job, well outside Toronto. The competitive nature of Capitalism (free-market enterprise) is driving us youth to adopt a more socialist attitude.

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