2001 Census Consultation Guide

Age, Sex and Marital/Common-law Status

Recent Trends

Age

The number of persons 65 years and over grew by 17.5% between 1986 and 1991 - from 2.7 million to 3.2 million. The population 75 years and over grew by 21.7%. (1991 Census)

The population less than age 15 has increased since during the eighties, but the population aged 15 to 24 has declined significantly (18%). (1991 Census)

In 1971, the 5.4 million persons aged 25 to 44 made up a quarter of Canada's population; this age group included 9.2 million persons in 1991, forming a third of the population. (1991 Census)

Sex

There are far more women than men among seniors; in 1961, there were 106 elderly women (65 years and older) for every 100 elderly men - by 1991, this ratio had increased to 138 per 100. (1991 Census)

Among seniors (65 years and over), the ratio of widows to widowers has been increasing steadily; the ratio was three to one in 1961 compared to five to one in 1991. (1991 Census)

Marital/Common-law Status

During the past decade, there has been a notable increase in the proportion of female adults, those aged 30 to 34, who remained unmarried (10.5% to 16.3%). A similar trend characterizes the proportion of male adults. (1991 Census)

Common-law unions are on the rise: almost 1.5 million people were in a common-law relationship in 1991, an increase of nearly 50% from 1986. (1991 Census)

Quebec has exhibited a rapid growth in common-law unions in the last 15 years; by 1991, 16% of all Quebec couples were living in common-law, substantially more than the proportion of all the other provinces combined (10%). (1991 Census)

1996 Census of Population Questionnaires

Major Social Policy Issues for the 21st Century

Continuing impact of the big generation. As they have since their arrival, the baby-boom generation casts a long shadow over all population issues by virtue of their sheer numbers. Now that this population group is aging, they will increasingly have an impact on how we view such issues as mandatory retirement, adequacy of pensions and the delivery of health care services.

Why This Information Is Collected The 1996 Census questions on basic population information ask about age, sex and marital status of the people in each household. This information is used for planning programs, such as Old Age Security and the Child Tax Benefit. It is also used by towns and cities to plan day care centres, schools, senior citizens' homes and other public utilities.

Generation X. Generation Xers, the back-end boomers, entered the labour market in the early 1980s, when jobs were scarce. Since then, this generation has struggled to gain employment due to a weak economy and the bulk of the jobs being filled by the baby-boomers. How will these individuals cope until the baby-boomers begin to retire early in the next century? Are they more inclined to work at two or three jobs or seasonally? Impact of seniors. As the baby-boom generation moves into old age, how will this affect the demand for necessities such as medical services and housing? How might society benefit from this large group of seniors? For example, as they move into retirement, there may be a marked increase in volunteer workers since, on the whole, the baby-boom generation is more educated, wealthier and healthier than earlier senior generations. Low population growth. Although the Canadian government has maintained relatively high levels of immigration to combat Canada's current low natural population growth, these increases have not significantly changed the age structure of the population.

Older workers. Older workers will comprise a larger proportion of the labour force in the coming years. The patterns of early retirement merit further study, with an emphasis on the transition between full-time work and retirement.

Major Data Users federal agencies and departments provincial and territorial governments municipalities demographers academics family/health/ethno-cultural organizations

Increase in common-law unions. Common-law relationships are increasing and people in these unions are having children without changing their marital status. Are common-law relationships as stable as married relationships? What will be the impact on family law, inheritances and work benefits? Why are Quebeckers compared with other Canadians more likely to be in a common-law union?

Economic situation of widowed seniors. As the population ages, there will be a considerable increase in the number of elderly widowed women. Many of these women will be living alone, often on a low income.

Points for Discussion

Trends in common-law unions. A separate question concerning common-law unions was first introduced in 1991. Should this question be repeated in 2001? Would it be useful to obtain additional information, for example, on previous common-law unions, the age when the common-law union started or the duration of the common-law union?

Same-sex unions. So far, published census data on common-law have not provided information on people of the same sex who live together as a couple without being married. Are data required on same-sex unions? Should Statistics Canada be collecting this type of information? Is it best obtained from the census or from surveys?

Marital status and common-law status. The census has made a distinction between marital status (married, separated, divorced, widowed or single) and common-law status. Yet, some respondents and certainly many provinces regard common-law status as legal marital status. Should the census continue to make this distinction, or should common-law status be regarded as marital status?

Comparison of the Census and Alternative Sources of Data (PDF)