Sex Composition by Marital Status, 2006

View this map

Abstract

In 2006, 49.4% of males and 46.5% of females aged 15 years and over were legally married (and not separated), while 2.7% of the males and 3.2% of the females were separated, but still legally married. The male and female proportions for divorced people were 7.2% and 8.8% respectively. The gender gaps in the widowed and never married categories were larger: 2.5% of males and 9.7% of females were widowed while 38.2% of males, but only 31.8% of females were never legally married. In the case of the never married population 15 years of age and over, the highest proportions occurred in Quebec (46.8% of men and 40.0% of women), and the three territories (Yukon: 46.6% of men and 40.7% of women; Northwest Territories: 54.4% of men and 49.4% of women; and Nunavut: 63.4% of men and 59.2% of women). On the other hand, the sexual divergence of rates between males and females never legally married was highest in Alberta (37.7% of males versus 30.4% for females or a 7.3% difference) and Saskatchewan (36.6% of males versus 29.3% for females or a 7.3% spread). For the widowed population, this disparity was most pronounced for Saskatchewan (2.7% widowers versus 11.6% widows or an almost 9% difference). The map shows by census division and census subdivision the marital status of the population 15 years of age and over by gender.

A population’s sex composition becomes revealing when it is seen from the point of view of marital status. In most industrialized countries, the number of legally married men is approximately equal to the number of legally married women, while, compared with men, the number of women who are single (never legally married) is usually smaller and the number who are widowed, divorced or separated tends to be larger. This applies to Canada, although the national picture is not that straightforward. For example, in 2006, the number of legally married males (6.24 million) was only slightly larger than that of legally married females (6.23 million), but, in terms of the proportion of the population 15 years and over, these figures were not as close (49.4% of all males 15 years and over versus 46.5% of all females 15 years and over) since there are more females than males in Canada.

In 2006, 38.2% of males but only 31.8 % of females aged 15 years and over were never legally married. These sex differences are found in every province and territory, although the magnitude of these discrepancies varied geographically. In Quebec and the three territories, the proportion of the population that had never been legally married was much higher than elsewhere. For males and females respectively, the figures were 46.7% and 39.9% in Quebec; 46.6% and 40.7% in Yukon; 54.4% and 49.4% in Northwest Territories; and 63.4% and 59.2% in Nunavut. The rate of separation was low in Quebec (2.0% males; 2.2% females) but high in New Brunswick (3.8% males; 4.2% females) and Yukon (3.8% males; 4.1% females). Divorce rates were high in Quebec (9.9% males; 11.3% females) and Yukon (8.9% males; 10.3% females) but low in Nunavut (2.3% males; 2.5% females). British Columbia showed the greatest discrepancy in divorce rates between males (7.3% of all males) and females (9.3% of all females) of 2.1%.

As in most industrialized countries, sex composition of the widowed population is most striking. Nationally, 2.5% of males and 9.7% of females were widowed in 2006. The widowed female population was proportionately largest in Saskatchewan (11.6%), which is not surprising as Saskatchewan also had proportionately the largest elderly population (15.4% in the age group 65 years and over). In 13 out of 18 census divisions, the proportion of widows exceeded the provincial average with several cities such as Yorkton (17.8%), Moose Jaw (15.9%), Swift Current (15.3%) and North Battleford (14.2%) taking the lead. Furthermore, in the Atlantic Provinces, widows formed a relatively large proportion of the total female population. In more than 80% of the census divisions in this region, slightly more than one-tenth of the female population was widowed. Some prominent towns and cities in the region with a relatively high proportion of widows included: Placentia (16.7%), Carbonear (15.3%), Harbour Grace (13.0%), and Channel-Port aux Basques (16.8%) in Newfoundland and Labrador; Charlottetown (13.1%) in Prince Edward Island; Truro (16.8%) and Cape Breton (14.4%) in Nova Scotia; and Bathurst (14.0%) and Saint John (13.2%) in New Brunswick.

The Daily is Statistics Canada's official release bulletin. The Daily for September 12, 2007, marked the public release of this census variable.

The text was adapted from Statistics Canada, Family Portrait: Continuity and Change in Canadian Families and Households in 2006, Catalogue number 97 553 XWE2006001 and Report on the Demographic Situation in Canada: 2005 and 2006, Catalogue number 91-209-X. Statistics Canada information is used with the permission of Statistics Canada. Information on the availability of the wide range of data from Statistics Canada can be obtained from the Statistics Canada's Regional Offices, its World Wide Web site at: http://www.statcan.gc.ca, and its toll-free access number 1 800 263 1136.