Abstract

Children are defined as never married sons and/or daughters, including adopted children, living with their parents. There were a total of 9 369 755 children living at home. The number of children per family has been decreasing, and the fertility rate has dropped from 3.9 children per woman in 1960, to 1.7 in 1992. The decreases in family size may be attributed to higher participation rate of mothers in the paid workforce, the introduction of better methods of contraception, and public health services. More women have delayed childbirth, and in some cases they have chosen to remain childless. Children aged 6 to 14 accounted for 37.4% of all children, the largest proportion of children living at home. There are higher proportions of young adults east of Quebec, throughout the Maritime Provinces, with the highest concentration found in Newfoundland.