Culture of Canada: Family composition
While the family unit is the center of society, both parents commonly work outside the home. Traditional norms are still valued, particularly in rural areas, but nontraditional households have increased considerably over the last 30 years.
About one-third of marriages are expected to end in divorce. A high proportion of children are now born out of wedlock, and there are many single-parent families. The average family has one or two children. Children often live with their parents until they go to college, marry, or get a full-time job.
Information taken from Human Resources and Skills Development in Canada states that the majority of people live in family households (69.6%), a significant number lived alone (26.8%), and a smaller number lived with one or more unrelated persons (3.7%). The average size of a household in 2006 was 2.5 people.
The structure of Canadian families is becoming more diverse. The traditional family of two parents with children is no longer the norm in Canada. In 2006, legally married couples with children made up 34.6% of all families. While the proportion of traditional families has been declining, the proportion of common-law and lone-parent families is increasing.
An increase in step families has also changed the composition of Canadian families, with various mixes of step-parents, stepchildren, step siblings and half siblings.