Overview

Abstract (English)

This report was commissioned by the Family, Children and Youth Section of the Department of Justice Canada to continue analyses of data from the Family History and Custody section of the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY). The study is based on data collected on approximately 15,000 children, aged 2 to 13 years at the time of Cycle 2 (1996-97), who were part of the first cycle of the NLSCY (1994-95). This is one of Canada’s foremost data sources for studying the development and characteristics of Canadian children and their families. Having these two cycles of data allows the examination of cases in which families had broken apart between 1994-95 and 1996-97. This enables, for the first time, analyses based on the situation “before” and “after” certain family transitions, such as parents’ separation or family recomposition, thereby providing new insight into the relationship between family change, income and labour force participation. It also makes possible the examination of how custody (viewed as physical custody), father-child contact and child support payments change over time for those parents who were already separated at the time of Cycle 1.

Abstract (French)

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