Stepfamilies in Canada: Numbers, characteristics, stability and childbearing

Overview

Abstract (English)

The following thesis examines stepfamilies in Canada within a socio-demographic framework, using the 2001 General Social Survey (GSS) on families, and is divided into three main sections. First, there is an extended literature review on family theory and the emergence of stepfamilies. This section provides the background for a discussion of why stepfamilies are still often perceived as problematic and, therefore, stigmatized; we also define different stepfamily forms. The question of how to measure stepfamilies is a major concern in this research. Indeed, depending on whether one takes a residential or an inter-residential perspective, the number of households involved in stepfamily life changes substantially. We first present a cross-sectional perspective by describing the stepfamilies examined at survey. The main focus here is to compare stepfamilies with intact and lone parent families in order to see the extent and nature of the differences between them. Our results suggest that stepfamilies do not differ as much as expected from intact families with regard to certain socioeconomic variables, such as income. The next stage involves an analysis of stepfamilies in a longitudinal perspective in order to better understand stepfamily dynamics. In doing so, we focus on stepfamily instability and the likelihood of having a common child, applying the method of event history analysis. In this longitudinal perspective, we find that stepfamilies face a high risk of experiencing a separation and that this risk increases substantially over time; we also find that stepfamily couples living in a common-law union have a higher risk of separation than those who are married. The arrival of a common child within a stepfamily appears to be determined mainly by the age of the mother and of existing children. The younger the mother and the younger the children, the more likely a stepfamily is to witness the arrival of a common child. The most compelling finding of this research lies in the differences observed in the outcomes of male and female respondents with regard to their stepfamily dynamics.

Abstract (French)

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