1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«This article analyzes the relation between conjugal status and fertility in Quebec.» (p. 81)

Questions/Hypothèses :
«The straightforward hypothesis is that among French-speaking Quebeckers, fertility was lower within consensual union before it became widespread, but is now the same as fertility within marriage. […] We expect the difference between French-speaking Quebeckers and English speaking Ontarians to be the largest, and the two other groups to fall between the two extremes.» (p. 88)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«We use individual data from the 20-per-cent sample of the Canadian population that answered the 1986, 1996, and 2006 long form of the census.» (p. 88)

Instruments :
Questionnaire

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

«The relation between fertility and conjugal status has changed in a profound way among Frenchspeaking Quebeckers from the onset of the spread of consensual union, in the early to mid-1980s, until 2006. Over this period, age-specific fertility rates and cumulative fertility have decreased within marriage and increased within consensual union. At the end of the period, both remain higher within marriage, but the difference is much smaller than at the beginning. However, the most striking difference is found in the contributions of the two forms of marital union to overall fertility: in 1986, overall fertility was by far and away only fertility within marriage, whereas in 2006, overall fertility is mainly fertility within consensual union. […] Among French-speaking Quebeckers, age-specific rates are still higher within marriage up to the mid-thirties. However, given the high prevalence of consensual union and the small differences between age-specific rates within marriage and within consensual union, the fertility within consensual union may account for the largest portion of overall fertility and the fact that overall fertility is somewhat higher in Quebec than in Ontario.» (p. 94-96)