1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«The aim of this paper is to analyze stepfamily instability in Canada by applying the proportional hazards model to the information collected in the 2001 General Social Survey on Family. More specifically, we examine the effect that the family composition and the type of conjugal union exert on the risk of separation, and test whether the impact of cohabiting union varies over time and between Quebec and the other provinces, depending of its stage of institutionalization.» (p. 196)

Questions/Hypothèses :
The research questions of this study are: «Do the stepfamilies formed during the 1990s differ from those formed earlier in their likelihood to break up? Has the negative impact of cohabitation on stepfamily duration diminished over time, as cohabiting unions became more widespread and socially acceptable, and is its impact likely to be lower in Quebec, where this form of union is more common than elsewhere in Canada?» (p. 198)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«Our analysis is based on the General Social Survey (GSS) on Family conducted by Statistics Canada in 2001.» (p. 202) «The final analytical sample comprises 1,353 female respondents who spent at least some time in a stepfamily household.» (p. 204)

Instruments :
Questionnaire

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

«In Canada, the last demographic study to our knowledge that analysed stepfamily instability used the 1990 General Social Survey (GSS) on family. [...] On one hand, the popularity of cohabiting unions has continued to grow, especially among stepfamily couples who, by 2001, in majority were living in this type of union (Lapierre-Adamcyk/Le Bourdais 2008), and more so in the province of Quebec, where it reached a level similar to that observed in the Scandinavian countries (Statistics Canada 2002b). On the other hand, the composition of stepfamilies has become more diversified, with courts less likely to grant women the sole custody of their children following parental separation.» (p. 198) «The analysis shows that stepmother families face a lower risk of separation than those formed around a stepfather, and that cohabiting stepfamily couples are more unstable than married ones. The risk of union dissolution among stepfamily couples has increased over time, for married as well as cohabiting partners, but the effect of cohabitation relative to marriage does not appear to significantly differ across periods or regions.» (p. 196)
Note : L’article s’intéresse à plusieurs reprises au Québec.