Highlights of 2001 census data on families, released Tuesday by Statistics Canada:
- The proportion of "traditional" families - married couples with children - continues to decline. Married couples accounted for 70.5 per cent of all families in 2001, down from 83 per cent from 1981.
- What was once known as "living in sin" is more common than ever. Couples living together without being married represented 13.8 per cent of all families in 2001. Twenty years ago, the proportion of common-law couples was only six per cent.
- Among Canada's provinces and territories, Nunavut (31.3 per cent), the Northwest Territories (26.3 per cent) and Quebec (25.2 per cent) have the highest proportion of common-law couples. Quebec represents 44 per cent of the total number number of common-law couples in Canada.
- Marriage is most popular in Newfoundland and Labrador (75.4 per cent of total families), Ontario (75.4 per cent) and Prince Edward Island (74.1 per cent).
- The 2001 census was the first to include same-sex relationships within the definition of common-law couples. A total of 34,200 gay and lesbians identified themselves as living in same-sex relationships - which represents 0.41 per cent of all census families.
- About 81 per cent of same-sex couples live in Canada's 27 major metropolitan areas. The cities of Vancouver (1.98 per cent), Montreal (1.47 per cent) and Victoria (1.26 per cent) had the highest proportion of same-sex couples among all families.
- A total of 15.7 per cent of Canadian families were headed by just one parent. In the northern territory of Nunavut, about one in four families were lone-parent.
- More people than ever are living alone. About one out of every four of the country's 11.5 million private households was occupied by just one person. One major reason: the growing numbers of seniors, who are more likely to live alone.
- There is increasing evidence of a "crowded nest" syndrome. About 41 per cent of young Canadians aged 20-29 were living with their parents in 2001; 20 years ago the proportion was only 27 per cent. Statistics Canada analysts offer several explanations: adult children returning home after failed marriages, delayed marriage, more people in their 20s still in school, the difficulty of those young adults in finding jobs.
