Selected Statistics on Canadian Families and Family Law:
Second Edition

Prepared by:
Research Unit
Family, Children and Youth Section
Department of Justice Canada

This report may be reproduced, in part or in whole, and by any means, without charge or further permission from the Department of Justice Canada, provided that due diligence is exercised in ensuring the accuracy of the materials reproduced; that the Department of Justice Canada is identified as the source department; and that the reproduction is not represented as an official version of the original report.

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, (2000)
(Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF TABLES

  • Table 1: Average Annual Income by Family Type, 1993-1997
  • Table 2: Families and Poverty (1996)
  • Table 3: Number and Rate of Marriages and Divorces, Canada and Provinces/Territories, 1997
  • Table 4: Distribution of Children According to Whether a Court Order for Custody Exists, by Type of Broken Union and Time Elapsed Since Separation-NLSCY, Cycle 1, 1994-1995
  • Table 5: Court-Ordered Custody Arrangement, According to
    the Age of the Child at Separation and the Type of Broken Union-NLSCY, Cycle 1, 1994-1995
  • Table 6: Living Arrangements at Time of Separation for Children of Broken Families-NLSCY, Cycle 1, 1994-1995
  • Table 7: Type of Contact Maintained With Either Parent at Time of Separation by Type of Union-NLSCY, Cycle 1, 1994-1995
  • Table 8: Type of Support Agreement According to Type of Broken Union-NLSCY, Cycle 1, 1994-1995
  • Table 9: Type of Support Agreement and Regularity of Payments, According to Type of Broken Union-NLSCY, Cycle 1, 1994-1995

LIST OF FIGURES

  • Figure 1: Family Type as a Proportion of all Families (1996)
  • Figure 2: Families with Children by Family Type (1986-1996)
  • Figure 3: Family Type at Birth for Various Cohorts of Children
  • Figure 4: Marital Status of Male and Female Lone Parents (1991)
  • Figure 5: Proportion of Children in Private Households by Family Type (1996)
  • Figure 6: Poverty Rates by Family Type, 1996
  • Figure 7: Marriage and Divorce Rates in Canada, 1967-1997
  • Figure 8: Median Age at Time of Divorce, 1993-1997
  • Figure 9: Canadian Children Born to a Lone-Parent or Who Have Experienced the Separation of Their Parents, Various Birth Cohorts
  • Figure 10 Canadian Children Born in a Two-Parent Family Who Have Experienced Their Parents' Separation, According to Type of Parents' Union, 1983-1984 Cohorts- NLSCY 1994-1995
  • Figure 11: Distribution of Children Aged 0-11 and of Children From Broken Families, According to Type of Parents' Union- Canada-NLSCY 1994-1995
  • Figure 12: Percentage of Children From Broken Marriages Who Have Not Yet Witnessed Their Parents' Divorce, According to Time Elapsed Since Separation-NLSCY 1994-1995 (Life Table Estimates)
  • Figure 13: Type of Custody Arrangements
  • Figure 14: Type of Contact Maintained with Either Parent at Time of Separation NLSCY 1994-1995
  • Figure 15: Type of Contact Maintained with Father at the Time of Survey, According to Time Elapsed Since Separation - NLSCY 1994-1995
  • Figure 16: Number of People Who Reported Paying or Receiving Support, 1986-1996
  • Figure 17: Total Amount of Alimony by Number of Payers and Recipients, Canada 1995
  • Figure 18: Income Ranges of Payers and Recipients, 1995
  • Figure 19: Sources of Income, 1995
  • Figure 20: Government Transfers as a Source of Income, for Payers and Recipients, Canada, 1995
  • Figure 21:Visiting Patterns with Father, for Children Living with Mother at Time of Separation, According to Regularity of Child Support Payments-NLSCY, Cycle 1, 1994-1995