Canadian Family

The Canadian family is an institution that is alive and well, but it has gone through an evolution over the years. These acts comply with the definition of a family. In current society most women are career oriented and don't have time for babies. You can call these groups of people what you like but ultimately they are acting as a true family.

Recently many people are beginning to practice common law marriages. In 1996, Statistics Canada released that 2,729,775 families were without children. Two people will live together for years and some will chose to have children, but they never 'make it to the alter.

In the past when a couple got married it was assumed that they would have children. Though some may not agree that an unmarried couple, a single parent and child, or a childless couple is a family, these people are all fulfilling the duties of a family member. Is a couple who choses not to have children still considered a family? As long as the couple is taking care of each other, working to put food on the table and keeping a roof over their heads, and provided they are learning from each other's mistakes, then they can still be classified as a family. In the year 2000 there was a total of 16, 135, 523 single parents in Canada (according to Statistics Canada). Now, if a father is providing food and shelter for his child, teaching his child how to survive in the world, and loving and taking care of his child, then he is fulfilling the duty of a family member that does not mean that the father and the child are not to be considered as a family regardless if the mother is in the picture or not. and child, some would say that's not a real family because society's perception of family includes mother, father and child all living happily together.