The Transition from Stepfamilies into Blended Families in Canada

Valerie Martin, McGill University
Celine Le Bourdais, McGill University

Several studies published recently in Europe and the United States have examined the transition from stepfamilies into blended families, that is, the transition linked to the birth of a common child to the couple. In Canada, such research is rare and based on early 1990 survey data. For the purpose of this paper, we apply event history analyses from the latest 2001 General Social Survey (GSS) to analyse the timing of the transition from a stepfamily into a blended family, and the circumstances under which a stepfamily decides to have an additional child. Our study considers regional differences between Quebec and Anglophone Canada and takes into account such variables as the type of union (cohabiting or married), the age of the youngest child and the type of stepfamily (stepmother or stepfather). To conclude, we discuss to what extent the process observed in Canada differ from that revealed in American studies.