September 25, 2012 (REALWomen) – While the social progressives spin the latest Census data to trumpet the supposed demise of conservatism and the traditional family, and the meteoric rise of diverse arrangements, Canadians should know the true story behind the statistics. The Census actually tells us that most children live with their married parents, and same sex couples are a tiny minority. Here are the facts:
– married-couple families actually increased 3.1%, and accounted for 67% of Census families (all couples with or without children) in 2011
– most children live in married two-parent families – 63.6%
– 87.4% of children live with their biological/adopted families (married, common-law or simple step families)
– the supposed “huge” 42.4% increase in same-sex couples since 2006 adds up to only 0.8% of all couples (married and common law). Even this 0.8% is not solid, as Statistics Canada included roommates, one or both reporting as married but to someone other than the roommate. This was a serious error.
– 67.5% of same-sex couple families are common-law, whereas 16.7% of all families are common-law
– only 12.6% of all couples with children were step families, while 49.7% of same-sex couple families were step families: the children being brought into these latter unions from previous heterosexual marriages
– one-person households increased, now 27.6%, but that includes widows and widowers who had raised children in traditional family arrangements for years
– only 10% of children under 14 lived in step families
– 19.3% of Canadian children live in a household headed by a single parent while 79.6% live with two parents
Notwithstanding all the barriers, pressures and put-downs, the traditional family (the safest and most prosperous place for men, women and children) is doing well in Canada.