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Families Count: new section on family work now available

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Families Count 2024 is now available

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Families Count 2024

Vanier Institute’s new resource explores three decades of change, continuity, and complexity among families in Canada. Released during the International Year of the Family’s 30th anniversary, Families Count 2024 provides statistical portraits of families in Canada, highlights trends over time, and offers insights on what it all means for families and family life.

Chapter 16 – Women are breadwinners in a growing percentage of couple families

Women’s contributions to family income in Canada have increased over the last 30 years. This coincides and is intertwined with continued growth in the labour market participation of women. Between 1990 and 2023, the employment rate of all core working-age women aged 25 to 54 rose from 69.8% to 81.7%.1 During the same period, the employment rate for mothers in this age group with children under age six increased from 58.2% to 75.9%.2

Data show that women provide more than 50% of total family income in a growing share of couple families. In 2022, women earned the majority of the couple’s employment income in one-third (32.8%) of different-gender couple census families, up from 25.9% in 2000.3 During the same period, the proportion in which women were sole breadwinners (i.e., receiving 100% of income) increased from 7.8% to 10.7% among different-gender couple families.

Across provinces and territories, the percentage of different-gender couple families in which the woman earned more than half of the couple’s employment income in 2022 was highest in Nunavut (43.3%) and lowest in Alberta (29.4%).3

Among couples with children, women are less likely to be breadwinners than in couples without children. In 2022, women earned the majority of the couple’s employment income in 36.8% of different-gender couples without children under 18, compared with 29.5% of those with children. Across provinces and territories, the percentage of different-gender couple families in which the woman earned more than half of the couple’s employment income in 2022 was highest in Nunavut (43.3%) and lowest in Alberta (29.4%).3 The likelihood of women earning the majority of the couple’s employment income decreases with the presence of more children. In 2022, women earned the majority of couple’s employment income in 32.1% of couples with one child, 29.3% of couples with two children, and in 25.0% of couples with three or more children. Similarly, women were twice as likely that year to be sole breadwinners in couple families without children (14.7%) than among those with children (7.4%).

The gap between the contributions of women with and without children to the couple’s employment income varies by province and territory. The largest gap in 2022 was in British Columbia, where women brought in more than half of the couple’s employment income in 28.4% of couples with children, compared with 37.5% of those without children (9.1 percentage points). Across provinces and territories, the percentage of different-gender couple families in which the woman earned more than half of the couple’s employment income in 2022 was highest in Nunavut (43.3%) and lowest in Alberta (29.4%).3 This was closely followed by Yukon Territory, where women brought in more than half of the couple’s employment income in 35.1% of couples with children, compared with 43.8% of those without children (8.7 percentage points). The smallest gap was observed in Nunavut, where there was only a gap of 1.5 percentage points: women received most of the couple’s employment income in 43.0% of couples with children and 44.5% of those without children.4

Why this matters

Women contribute a larger share of family income than ever before,5 which strengthens their economic wellbeing and the earning capacity of families.6 This shift has taken place alongside other social and economic changes. Some of these include a changing labour market, better availability of policies and supports facilitating women’s employment, and increased expenses for families.

Despite this trend, women continue to earn less than men on average,7 and are more likely to live with a lower income.5 A 2024 report from TD Economics shows that the average family income of breadwinners was lower for women ($116,600) than men ($128,200) in 2019.8 The report also found that average financial assets—which can play an important role in a family’s financial resilience—were lower for breadwinning women ($60,700) than breadwinning men ($92,100).

Source: Statistics Canada. (2024, June 27). Table 11-10-0029-01 Couple census families by wife’s contribution to couple’s employment income and by number of children.3

Note: This chart is only available on the webpage and is not included in the downloadable PDFs.

Source: Statistics Canada. (2024, June 27). Table 11-10-0029-01 Couple census families by wife’s contribution to couple’s employment income and by number of children.3


References
  1. Statistics Canada. (2024, January 5). Table 14-10-0327-01 Labour force characteristics by sex and detailed age group, annual. https://doi.org/10.25318/1410032701-eng ↩︎
  2. Institut de la statistique du Québec. (2024, February 2). Labour market indicators, results by family situation and sex, 25-54 years, Québec, Ontario, Canada, 1976-2023 (in French only). https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/produit/tableau/labour-market-indicators-results-by-family-situation-and-sex-25-54-years-quebec-ontario-canada#tri_regn=2&tri_sexe=1 ↩︎
  3. Statistics Canada. (2024, June 27). Table 11-10-0029-01 Couple census families by wife’s contribution to couple’s employment income and by number of children. https://doi.org/10.25318/1110002901-eng ↩︎
  4. Statistics Canada. (2023, November 15). Table 98-10-0083-01 Distribution of income between married spouses or common-law partners by characteristics of couples: Canada, provinces and territories and census metropolitan areas with parts. https://doi.org/10.25318/9810008301-eng ↩︎
  5. Fox, D., & Moyser, M. (2018, May 16). The economic well-being of women in Canada. Women in Canada: A gender-based statistical report. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-503-x/2015001/article/54930-eng.htm ↩︎
  6. Riedmann, A., Lamanna, M. A., & Nelson, A. (2003). Marriages and families: Making choices in a diverse society. Thomson Nelson. ↩︎
  7. Statistics Canada. (2022, May 30). Pay gap, 1998 to 2021. Quality of Employment in Canada. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/14-28-0001/2020001/article/00003-eng.htm ↩︎
  8. Fong, F., Seitlheko, L., Gebreselassie, M., & Garcia, D. (2024, March 4). International Women’s Day: Female breadwinners get a stale deal. TD Economics. https://economics.td.com/IWD-female-breadwinners-stale-deal ↩︎