Lone Parent Homes

The number of homes led by a lone-parent in Canada has been on the rise for the last four decades. Research continually bears out the fact that lone-parent homes are at an economic disadvantage compared to common-law and married couples, with or without children.

• Lone-parent families accounted for 16.3 percent of all census families in 2011, up from 15.7percent in 2001. In 1961, only 8.4 percent of census families were headed by lone parents.¹
• In 2011, there were 1,527,840 lone-parent families in Canada accounting for an eight percent change since 2001.²
• There are four female lone-parent families for every one male lone-parent family in Canada.³
• In 1961, 61.5 percent of lone-parents were widowed, 35.8 percent were divorced or separated and 2.7 percent were never married. By 2011, 17.7 lone-parents were widowed, 50.8 percent were divorced or separated and 31.5 percent were never married.⁴
• The average after-tax income for male headed lone-parent families in 2010 was $56,900, down from $57,300 in 2006. Female head homes had an average after-tax income of $44,800 in 2010, up from $39,700 in 2006.*⁵

*all figures in constant 2010 dollars.