Interesting Insights from Statistics Canada - Fewer Canadians are divorcing but when they do they are doing at a much later age.

On May 4, 2004 Statistics Canada released new figures with respect to Canadian divorces in the years 2001 and 2002. After looking at the national picture Statistics Canada concluded that after three consecutive years of growth in the number of divorces as of 2001 and 2002 fewer Canadian couples are now getting divorced. While the conclusion may be valid as a national average when one looks at the most populous provinces of Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario divorces are in fact up in those jurisdictions.

The average age at which Canadians divorce has increased by a little over four years for men and women. As of 2002 the average age at which people divorce is 43 years of age for men and 40 years of age for women. This number has crept up in part because Canadians are getting married at a later date.

While the number of marriages rose in 1999 and 2000 in part as a result of the rush to have "end of century" marriages, the number of couples who are marrying in Canada declined sharply in 2001. It is expected that this trend will continue with fewer and fewer Canadians marrying and more and more living common law.

Over 60% of the divorces granted in Canada in 2001 and 2002 were to couples who had been married for fewer than 15 years. It appears that the average duration for couples divorcing in 2002 was a little over 14 years. This trend is consistent with anecdotal experience among divorce lawyers who have long noted that there tends to be an 11 year itch for divorce and a 25 year itch. These time spans coincide with the children reaching an age of relative independence and eventually leaving the nest.

The statistics are particularly interesting when one looks at custody granted through court proceedings. Nearly 30% of divorces granted in 2001 and 2002 involved custody orders with respect to children. This means that as many 30% of divorcing couples still cannot agree on a custody arrangement and must resort to the court to impose one on them.

The most fascinating development is the fact that awards of custody to mothers fell for the first time below the 50% mark. This is the first time that custody was awarded to the mother for less than half of dependants. This does not mean that fathers are automatically winning custody of children. The statistics indicate that only 8.5% of fathers receive sole custody of children. There has been, however, a ground swell of joint custody arrangements. In 2002 41.8% of dependants were awarded to the husband and wife jointly. This continues a 16 year trend of increases in joint custody arrangements. The obvious upside of joint custody arrangements is the increased likelihood of compliance with child support needs for the children. With the increase in common law relationships, the apparent decline in divorces, the increase in joint custody and other developments it is clear that the picture of Canadian families continues to evolve.