Marriage and Cohabitation: Demographic and Socioeconomic Differences in Quebec and Canada

TLDR

Cohabitation is now the most common entry into conjugality in Canada, yet its prevalence is especially high in Quebec compared to other provinces. The study aims to (1) contextualize the rise of common‑law unions in Canada and Quebec historically and internationally, (2) analyze socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of cohabiters versus married individuals using 2001 Census and 1998 GSS data, and (3) assess the policy implications for legislators and the Canadian legal system. The authors review 2001 Census and 1998 General Social Survey data to examine key socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of cohabiters versus married persons. Compared to other provinces, Quebec shows larger gaps in education, labor force participation, median income, income poverty, and homeownership between cohabiters and married persons, while the contrast between married and cohabiting individuals is smaller in Quebec than elsewhere, highlighting policy implications.

Abstract

Cohabitation has become so prevalent in Canada that it is now the most common mode of entry into conjugality. Yet in drawing comparisons across Canadian provinces, cohabitation is far more prevalent in the province of Quebec than elsewhere. With this in mind, the purpose of the current paper is three fold. First, we set out to briefly situate the recent growth in the number of common-law unions in Canada and Quebec into a broader historical and international context. Secondly, we review available information from the 2001 Census and the 1998 General Social Survey on some of the key socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of persons who cohabit relative to those that marry. Thirdly, we consider how these changes are important to public policy, and of direct interest to legislators and the Canadian legal system. Major differences are documented in comparing Quebec with elsewhere in Canada in terms of the education, labor force participation, median income, income poverty and homeownership. The differences documented between persons who marry relative to cohabiters are found to be much less in Quebec than elsewhere, in a context whereby cohabitation has become far more widespread, an observation with direct implications for public policy.