This week I published a review of Broken Bonds, which examines the decline of familial relationships in the United States. While my focus was on dismissing the book as junk, the problem of broken families remains, and that goes for Canada as well.
The Institute of Marriage and Family Canada, led by Andrea Mrozek, does valuable work monitoring and standing up for the family unit, and they have just released this concise infographic on the topic. In particular, it reveals that the trend continues to this day, and was not isolated to a shock in the 1960s and 1970s.
The institute describes changing motives at play, a trend towards marriage as what one could describe as a luxury good, rather than a necessity:
People used to view marriage as a foundation to build a life on. Couples married, and then built assets together and started families. Today, many people see marriage as a destination. Young people are getting more education and seeking fiscal security before entering marriage. That’s if they choose to marry at all.