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    Canada Year Book

    2011

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    Common-law couples are more likely to break up

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    Of the 2 million Canadians who went through a breakup between 2001 and 2006, approximately half were ending a marriage and the other half were dissolving a common-law relationship. This was despite the fact that there were far fewer common-law couples than married couples in 2001.

    Those in common-law unions had lived together for an average of 4.3 years, whereas those in marriages had been together for an average of 14.3 years.

    Nearly two-thirds (65%) of those who left a common-law relationship did not make use of any formal program or service during the breakup. By contrast, 31% of married people who separated and 18% of those who divorced did not seek a formal program or service. Generally, 74% of people with dependent children used some type of formal service during the breakup, compared with 45% of people who separated or divorced with no dependent children.

    Chart 14.3 Divorce and separation, by region, 2001 to 2006
    View data source for chart 14.3

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