Women in Canada

Available online today are four new chapters of the publication Women in Canada: A Gender-based Statistical Report, which explores the socio-demographic and economic circumstances of Canadian women in general.

These chapters examine the health of Canadian women, their education, their family arrangements and the activity limitations with which some live.

The chapter on "Families, living arrangements and unpaid work" analyses the family context and living arrangements of women. For those living in couples, it examines whether they are legally married or living in common-law unions, including same-sex couples. According to the 2006 Census, the majority (82%) of women in couples were married, while the remainder (18%) were in common-law unions.

The number of women in common-law unions has been increasing. In the five years prior to 2006, the number of women in married couples rose 3.5%, while those in common-law unions increased 19%.

The chapter "Women and health" examines five major dimensions of health: well-being and measures of health; chronic health conditions and problems related to mental health; risk factors and health-related behaviours; accessing and using health services; and life expectancy, deaths and causes of death.

In 2009, 60% of females aged 12 and over reported being in very good or excellent health, the same proportion as males. Women most likely to report very good or excellent health were those with a higher income and education level.

The chapter "Women and education" is a detailed examination of various indicators of education for women, including highest level of attainment and women in trades and registered apprenticeship training programs as well as in college and university. Women working in the field of education are also covered.

From 1990 to 2009, the proportion of women aged 25 to 54 with a bachelor's or graduate university degree more than doubled to 28%. This is higher than the 25% for men, a reversal of the 1990 situation. At the same time, the proportion of women who had not completed high school fell from 26% to 9%.

The chapter on "Women with activity limitations" uses data from the 2009 Canadian Community Health Survey. It analyses the age structure of the female population with activity limitations, the type and cause of limitation, and the education and income of women with and without activity limitations.

In 2009, 12% of women aged 15 and over reported that they had a long-term health condition or problem that often made it difficult for them to function normally in everyday life. This compares with 11% for men. The population with activity limitations is older. In the case of women with activity limitations, 45% are aged 60 and over, while the same pattern is true for their male counterparts.

Eight chapters were released previously online. All 12 are now available in Women in Canada: A Gender-based Statistical Report, 2010-2011, sixth edition (89-503-X, free), from the Key resource module of our website under Publications. It is a collaborative effort of Status of Women Canada and Statistics Canada.

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Statistics Canada's National Contact Centre (613-951-8116; toll-free 1-800-263-1136; infostats@statcan.gc.ca), Communications Division.