The Family in Canada

The media relishes undermining the traditional family of mother, father and children, frequently claiming that it doesn't really exist any more. Print and electronic media encourage governments to get with the changing times and the reality of today's families, which they claim are mainly non-traditional arrangements, such as couples who never marry, single-parent families, divorced couples, or homosexual and lesbian couples. The media couldn't be more mistaken.

Single Parent Families

The number of single parent families today is almost the same as it was in 1931. Today there are 14.5% of families headed by a single parent (83% by a woman), whereas in 1931, it was 13%. However, the reasons for single parent families today are very different. In 1931, most single parents were widows or widowers, by virtue of the number of fathers killed in WWI, higher numbers of deaths from childbirth, diseases and accidents, and limited medical expertise and drugs available at that time. On the other hand, today's single parents are usually separated, divorced, remarried or single by choice.

Children

A national longitudinal study by Statistics Canada released in October 1996, which tracked 23,000 children every two years from infancy to 11 years of age, found that:

• 83% of our children under 12 years of age lived in a two-parent family in 1994, the most recent year that the data is available;

• only 16.5% of children live with a single parent;

• the vast majority of families are biological families, not re-constructed by marriage or other means.

Canadian Attitudes About the Family

What is even more interesting today is that Canadians themselves believe in the traditional family and, according to the latest census (1996), 74% live in that arrangement not because they have to, but because they want to.

A poll on attitudes on the family was conducted by Dr. Andre Turcotte of Feedback Research Corp. Dr. Turcotte released his findings at the Focus on the Family Conference held in Ottawa last October and they clearly indicate that Canadians regard the family as being central to their lives. For example:

Only 12% of Canadians regard marriage as an outdated institution (vs. 13% in 1981).

• 78% of Canadians (66% in 1981) agree that a child needs both parents;

• 91% of Canadians (93% in 1981) regard mutual respect and appreciation as the most important attributes to a successful marriage;

• 83% (85% in 1981) believe that understanding and tolerance are the most important attributes in a marriage and adequate income rates only 40%, adequate housing 33% and a common background 29%.

Significantly, 50% of Canadians between the ages of 26 and 35 are thinking about making an important career or life change in order to spend more time with their family. That's how important the family is to them!

Also significant is the fact that 74% of young people between the ages of 26-34 believe the business sector should play a role in facilitating a career change towards the family and 62% of the same age group believe the federal government should also play such a role.

This is good news in a chilling media climate which loves to hate the traditional family.

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