A brief overview of definitions and statistics

The Family Life - Cycle Use handout – How the Family Life Cycle Affects Parenting and Children Beside each stage list the societal expectations associated with each. Point form is acceptable

Family Life Cycle – Between Family Young adults that have met the challenge to: achieve social, emotional and financial independence from family usually resides in own residence seeking partner for shared lifestyle

Family Life Cycle – New Couple Adults that have chosen: marriage or to live common-law to share their lifestyle and financial obligations with another individual; usually legal and binding Examples of this?

Family Life Cycle – Young Children Adults that have chosen to: take on emotional, social and financial obligations for children meet legal requirements for parenting child(ren) to age 18 years Examples of these?

Family Life Cycle – Adolescent Children Adults ongoing commitment to children through: Helping children transition to self – responsibility preparing for independence and career choices Examples of these?

Family Life Cycle - Launching Adult and child working together to: provide emotional and financial independence from the family encourage independent living “launching” young adult into world

Family Life Cycle – Later Life Later life adults face a series of personal challenges: Retirement Financial security Grandparenting Mid life crisis Loss of spouse

The Evolving Family Families grow and develop internally as they progress through the Family Life Cycle – individual family interruptions - death, divorce or other occurrences - may change this cycle. Families grow and develop externally as they meet the challenges of changing society – war, depressions, medical advances, technology and legal changes.

2 Factors of Family Evolution (note) Normative Life Events: describes those events in life that greater society generally accepts as normally occurring within an individual’s life – school, marriage, having children Non-Normative Life Events: describes significant unexpected and unpredictable events that do not follow the normal expectations within life – terminal illnesses, unexpected or early death, war, natural catastrophe

Let’s look at how the structure, size, expectations and responsibilities of the family have changed over time. Look for both internal and external influences that cause the family to evolve.

1920’s Perfect Family Developments in industrial production and technology increased the ability of ordinary Canadians to buy what once had been considered luxuries. Toys and play of boys and girls reflected the different roles they were expected to play as adult men and women. Families were large and generations resided together.

1950’s – Perfect Family In the 1950s family life was dominated by the traditional roles for mother and father. Fathers were the breadwinners and mothers were responsible for household and children. The Status of Women report stated, the homemaker's job was to see that her family had "a place where all members … can find acceptance, refreshment, self-esteem and renewal of strength amidst the pressures of modern life."

1980’s – Perfect Family Increases divorce during the 1970s resulted in increased single-parent households, most often headed by women. Family authority was shared by adults though men most often still had more power in financial and disciplinary matters.

2000 – Perfect Family By the year 2000 over 25% of young children in Canada were only children. An increased focus on education and beginning a career, leads women to choose delaying child birth. More women are in the workforce than ever before.

The Family of 2010 Young children are born into a variety of different family types – married couples, common-law couples, lone-parent and blended families.

The Evolving Family As well family structure is in constant change the family which the child is born into is not guaranteed to be the family in which the child will spend his or her entire childhood.

Diversity of Family in Canada Today (2006 Census) In the past, family structure has been considered very important to children’s development. However, today we recognize that it is the quality of relationships within families that is often more important than the structure of the family unit. Whatever the family structure, a child’s healthy development is most associated with the quality of parenting, which itself is enhanced by the availability of strong community and social supports.

Evolving Forms of Family (note) Nuclear Family: heterogeneous parents contractually bound and their child or children 34.6% of families with children are legally married couples

Evolving Statistics of Family Dual Income Family: two actively employed parents and their child or children 70% of two-parent families both parents work full-time

Evolving Statistics of Family Lone-Parent Family: one parent and his or her children 20% of families are headed by a lone- parent

Evolving Statistics of Family Common Law Family two parents bound by choice and their child or children 13% of families are common-law households

Evolving Statistics of Family Same Sex Family: homogeneous parents bound contractually or by choice and their child or children 17% of same sex couples are legally married

Evolving Statistics of Family Adoptive Family: one that accepts the legal responsibility of raising a child or children of other biological origins 1,535 adopted from abroad 1,700 adopted through public adoptions 1, 000 adopted through private adoptions

Evolving Statistics of Family Multi-generational: several generations of same family living together 17.6% of families are 3 generations or more residing together

Problems and Concerns of the Canadian Family Families consisting of a married couple with children have dropped 17.8% since 1981, while lone-parent families have steadily increased. 25% of children experience parental separation before the age of 6.

Problems and Concerns of the Canadian Family 80% of lone-parent families are headed by females. Females continue to have lower earning power than men. 18% of Canadian children live below poverty line. Children born to poverty face shorter life expectancy and more chronic illness Defining poverty in the Canadian context, the 2006 census says a family of four in a city like Toronto is considered to be below the poverty line if its annual income is less than $38,610

Problems and Concerns of the Canadian Family Only 17% of families have access to regulated child care (the lowest level of 25 wealthiest developed nations) A child born in 2009 will cost approximately $222,360 to support to age 18. This includes expenses for child care, education and health care.

Problems and Concerns of the Canadian Family The economic demands of society are resulting in more families facing the “parenting crunch”, less quantity and quality time for children. 50% of working mothers and 36% of working fathers report having difficulty balancing work and family responsibilities.

All information obtained from: Vanier Institute of the Family 2006 Statistics Canada 2011 HRSDC 2006