Family arrangements

Though families are still the norm in Canadian society, they are dramatically smaller than they were a few decades ago. In 1961, 16% of Canadian families were made up of six or more persons, compared with only 2.6% in 2002. The average size of the Canadian family decreased from 3.9 people in 1961 to 3.0 in 2001, while the number of people living alone increased substantially. Individuals living alone made up 9% of all households in 1961; by 2001, they accounted for 26%.

Very few households bridged three generations—only 2% of Canadian households in 2001. In 75% of Canadian families with children at home in 2002, a two-parent team was tackling the job of raising children. The remainder had a lone parent in charge—an arrangement that is gradually becoming more prevalent among Canadian families. What's more, lone parents have to cope with a heavier burden than that of two-parent families: in 2001, while two-parent families typically have 1.1 children, lone-parent families average 1.5.