Having children is a major life decision and new data suggests that Canadians are waiting longer before becoming parents.
According to a recent Statistics Canada report, Canadian parents with younger children are much older than they were decades ago.
The agency said several factors are contributing to this trend, including an aging population and changing living environments.
Furthermore, StatCan also cites record-high levels of net international immigration, inflation, and rising housing prices as reasons why the makeup of Canadian families continues to evolve.
Canadians putting off having kids
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The report highlights that there’s been a continued “postponement of childbearing” in Canada since the 1970s.
In 1981, the average age of parents of young children was 30.7 years. In 2021, parents of young kids were 36.2 years old on average.
Canadian fathers were older (37.6 years on average) than Canadian mothers (34.9 years on average).
Mothers in one-parent families had the youngest average age in both periods. However, they also had the largest increase in average age over the past four decades.
In 1981, moms in one-parent families were 27.8 years old on average, compared to 33.7 years old in 2021.
The report also found that fewer Canadian families have young children at home.
“The share of families with young children decreased steadily from 24.0% in 1981 to 16% in 2021, as the number of families with older children grew much faster over this period,” states Statistics Canada.
There is also a high level of ethnocultural diversity among Canadian families with young children. In 2021, one-third (33.3% ) of parents with younger kids in Canada were immigrants.
Among these immigrant parents, over seven in 10 (71%) had their youngest child after immigrating to Canada.
Why are there fewer families with young children?
An aging population, decreasing fertility rates, and changing norms around living arrangements are key factors contributing to Canada’s decline in families with younger children, says StatCan.
Earlier this year, the agency revealed the country’s fertility rate reached a record low.
The fertility rate represents the estimated average number of live births a woman is expected to have throughout her reproductive life.
In 2023, fertility rates in Canada reached 1.26 children per woman, the lowest since rates started declining 15 years ago.
Canada has now “joined the group of ‘lowest-low’ fertility countries, including South Korea, Spain, Italy and Japan, with 1.3 children per woman or less,” added StatCan.
Quality of life impacts fertility rate
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Statistics Canada has done previous research into why Canadians may be delaying or choosing not to have kids.
In 2023 it published a study on the impact of socioeconomic obstacles on Canadians aged 15 to 29. Compared to other age groups, this group faced “disproportionate challenges to their quality of life” and were “less satisfied and less hopeful about the future.”
To measure young Canadians’ quality of life, researchers used 85 indicators focused on prosperity, health, society, the environment, good governance, life satisfaction, and meaning and purpose.
Among those aged 20 to 29, housing and affordability concerns were the main reasons influencing their decisions about having children.
Another study highlighted that in 2022, more than a third of Canadians aged 15 to 49 did not intend to have children at all.
Did you wait (or are you waiting) longer to have children? What are your reasons? Share your experience with us at [email protected]. We may contact you for a future story.
With files from Irish Mae Silvestre and Imaan Sheikh