A married family only benefits society

A new study from the Cardus advocates that married life and child-rearing must be more attainable for Canadians by reducing apparent policy barriers and fostering a more visible pro-family cultural discourse in civil society.

The Ottawa-based think tank is urging policymakers and civil society organizations to advance solutions as the new “Canadian Married Family Index” documents how the prevalence of married families declined noticeably, but unevenly, in every province and territory between 2001 and 2021.

“Most young adults aspire to marry and have children, but many struggle to achieve the stable family life they would like to have,” says Peter Jon Mitchell, director of Cardus’ family program and the report’s co-author. “We should be concerned about the decline of the married family, as this influences life satisfaction and outcomes for both parents and children. This new index is meant to shed some light on this challenge and encourage action to strengthen Canadian families.”

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Cardus researchers used three variables to calculate the index score: the proportion of Canadians aged 25–54 who were married, the proportion of Canadian children aged 0–14 living with married parents and each province’s total fertility rate (TFR). The 2001 national census provided the baseline data for each province. To measure changes in the 2006, 2011, 2016 and 2021 censuses, the researchers divided each provincial value by its corresponding 2001 baseline and multiplied the result by 100.

Every province and territory’s score fell, but the tempo of change varied regionally. Nunavut’s nearly 30-point drop to 70.66 in 2021 from the 100.00 baseline in 2001 was the most precipitous, and Quebec’s declined nearly 20 points from 100.00 to 80.80. Statistics Canada found that in both province common-law couple family pattern has become commonplace. 

Comparatively, Alberta recorded the narrowest decline in index score — 8.44 points— over the two decades. Saskatchewan trailed closely with an 8.6-point drop. Ontario and every Western Canadian province waned by 13 points or less. Quebec and every Atlantic province declined by at least 14.5 points, and this is fueled by family dissolution — divorce or separation –—figures matching or exceeding the national average of 18 per cent outlined in Statistics Canada’s 2019 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth.

Mitchell’s appraisal from viewing the totality of the data is “Canadians generally think marriage is nice, but unnecessary for forming families. It's a nice thing, but it's just one option among others. I think that we've lost our sense of why marriage is important and the benefits that it has not only for adults but for children as well.”

He alluded to the scores of published studies over time that found marriage is linked to meaningful benefits for kids such as higher educational attainment, less involvement in risk activities and better behavioural outcomes.

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The study previews a yet-to-be-published survey Cardus conducted alongside the Angus Reid Institute found that 62 per cent of men and 58 per cent of women aged 18-44 who identified as unattached reported that getting married is important to them.

Mitchell would like to see marriage possible for these respondents by reforming benefit programs, as "Some of our benefit programs that are based on individual income end up creating penalties for people that get married,” he said.

As for the cultural piece of the puzzle, Mitchell suggested there is a “role for civil society to come alongside young adults in particular and encourage them in that transition into married life.”

He would like to see faith communities participate in this messaging effort. He also championed how churches are a space that naturally champions the beauty and value of family life.

“Participating in a community where there are other families around, where children are seen, and a part of the community reinforces the value of children,” said Mitchell. “It probably makes it easier for families to have other families around, and adults that have already been through that experience can be supportive in that role as well.”

There is a challenge in creating those spaces teeming with children, as the 2025 nationwide TFR was 1.25, which rates Canada as a lowest-of-low fertility country in the eyes of many demographers and the United Nations. A country’s fertility rate needs to be at least 2.1 for a population to replace itself without relying on immigration.  

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Such a low TFR is a source of concern for Mitchell. He mused that “when children are less seen in society, I wonder if they’re less valued and less thought about.” He is keen to review the fertility and married couple data contained in the 2026 Census, due for release throughout 2027.

To learn more, visit cardus.ca.

(Amundson is an associate editor and writer for The Catholic Register.)