Family Structure
Family Structure
There were 125,590 families in Middlesex-London in 2016. Statistics Canada defines a family as a married couple (including opposite or same sex, with or without children of either and/or both spouses), a common-law couple (with or without children of either and/or both partners) or a lone parent of any marital status, with at least one child living in the same dwelling.1
Over three quarters (77.0%) of residents aged 15 and older in Middlesex-London lived with family as defined on the 2016 Census, compared with 80.7% in Ontario overall (Figure 1.5.1).
Couples with at least one child at home comprised just over a quarter (28.1%) of residents aged 15 and older in Middlesex-London. Another quarter (27.1%) were couples without children (Figure 1.5.1).
The percent of residents aged 15 and older that were children living in a family (15.8%) was slightly lower in Middlesex-London compared with Ontario overall (18.0%) (Figure 1.5.1).
Residents who do not live with their immediate family represented a slightly higher percent of those aged 15 and older in Middlesex-London (23.0%) than in Ontario overall (19.3%). People that live alone, a sub-category of those not living with family, was 15.4% in Middlesex-London as compared with 12.2% in Ontario overall (Figure 1.5.1).
Approximately 68.3% of the 74,665 children age 0-14 in Middlesex-London live in a family with two biological or adoptive parents compared with 71.5% in Ontario overall (Figure 1.5.2).
Two out of every 10 children (21.4%) lived in a lone-parent family, primarily female lone parent (18.0%) (Figure 1.5.2).
Less than one percent of children did not live with family as defined on the 2016 Census (e.g., foster family). The remaining 10 percent lived in other alternative family structures such as with: one biological or adoptive parent and one step-parent (5.7%), with two biological or adoptive parents in a complex, blended stepfamily (3.5%) or living with grandparents without parents (0.6%) (Figure 1.5.2).
How this Indicator was Calculated:
Percent of population aged 15 and older living in various combinations of census families or not living in a census family.
Percent of children aged 0 to14 living in various combinations of census families or not living in a census family.
Ontario Public Health Standards: Requirements for Programs, Services, and Accountability
Population Health Assessment and Surveillance Protocol, 2018
References:
- Statistics Canada. 2017. Middlesex-London Health Unit, [Health region, December 2017], Ontario and Ontario [Province] (table). Census Profile. 2016 Census. [Internet] Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-316-X2016001. Ottawa, ON. [updated 2017 Nov 29; cited 2018 Nov 30]. Available from:
https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E - Anderson J. The impact of family structure on the health of children: Effects of divorce. [Internet] Linacre Q. 2014;81(4):378-87. [cited 2018 Nov 30] Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4240051/ doi: [10.1179/0024363914Z.00000000087]
Last modified on: January 25, 2019
Jargon Explained
Census Family
Census family is defined as a married couple and the children, if any, of either and/or both spouses; a couple living common law and the children, if any, of either and/or both partners; or a lone parent of any marital status with at least one child living in the same dwelling and that child or those children. All members of a particular census family live in the same dwelling.
A couple may be of opposite or same sex. Children may be children by birth, marriage, common-law union or adoption regardless of their age or marital status as long as they live in the dwelling and do not have their own married spouse, common-law partner or child living in the dwelling. Grandchildren living with their grandparent(s) but with no parents present also constitute a census family