2001 Census Topic-based tabulations

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Topic-based tabulation: Age Groups (12B), Number of Grandparents (3A) and Sex (3) for Grandchildren Living With Grandparents With No Parent Present, for Canada, Provinces and Territories, 1991 to 2001 Censuses - 20% Sample Data

About this tabulation

General information

Catalogue number :97F0005XCB2001042
Release date :January 14, 2003
Topic :Families and Household Living Arrangements
Data dimensions :

Note

Special Note: Census Family

Refers to a married couple (with or without children of either or both spouses), a couple living common-law (with or without children of either or both partners) or a lone parent of any marital status, with at least one child living in the same dwelling. A couple living common-law may be of opposite or same sex. 'Children' in a census family include grandchildren living with their grandparent(s) but with no parents present. For additional information, please refer to the 2001 Census Dictionary, Catalogue No. 92-378-XIE or 92-378-XPE.

Special Note: Changes to family concepts for the 2001 Census

For the 1996 Census, the definition of census family was as follows:

Refers to a now-married couple (with or without never-married sons and/or daughters of either or both spouses), a couple living common-law (with or without never-married sons and/or daughters of either or both partners) or a lone-parent of any marital status, with at least one never-married son or daughter living in the same dwelling.

This reflected a concept that had not changed since 1976. However, during the planning for the 2001 Census, it was decided that some changes were required, due to the following factors: (1) changes to federal and provincial legislation putting same-sex couples on an equal footing with opposite-sex common-law couples (most notably Bill C-23, the Modernization of Benefits and Obligations Act, which was passed by the Government of Canada in 2000); (2) recommendations by the United Nations as part of a process of standardization of concepts for the 2000-2001 round of censuses in member countries; and (3) a significant number of persons less than 15 years of age classified as 'non-family persons' in previous censuses.

As a result, the census family concept for the 2001 Census reflects the following changes:

· Two persons living in a same-sex common-law relationship, along with any of their children residing in the household, are considered a census family.

· Children in a census family can have been previously married (as long as they are not currently living with a spouse or common-law partner). Previously, they had to be 'never-married'.

· A grandchild living in a three-generation household where the parent (middle generation) is never-married is, contrary to previous censuses, now considered as a child in the census family of his or her parent, provided the grandchild is not living with his or her own spouse, common-law partner, or child. Traditionally, the census family usually consisted of the two older generations.

· A grandchild of another household member, where a middle-generation parent is not present, is now considered as a child in the census family of his or her grandparent, provided the grandchild is not living with his or her own spouse, common-law partner, or child. Traditionally, such a grandchild would not be considered as a member of a census family.

The last three changes listed (definition of 'child'), together, result in a 1.5% increase in the total number of census families, and in a 10.1% increase in the number of lone-parent families. The inclusion of same-sex couples results in a 0.4% increase in the number of census families at the national level.

The term economic family refers to a group of two or more persons who live in the same dwelling and are related to each other by blood, marriage, common-law or adoption. This definition has not changed for 2001. The only effect of conceptual changes on economic families is that same-sex partners are now considered to be common-law partners. Thus they are considered related and members of the same economic family.

Outside of the 'family universe', there are two related concepts that are affected by the change in the census family definition: common-law status and household type. Prior to 2001, two people living together as husband and wife without being legally married to each other were considered to be living common-law. For 2001, this has been expanded to include persons living in a same-sex partnership. The concept of household type refers to the basic division of private households into family and non-family households. Since it is based on the census family concept, the household type (whether a household is 'family' or 'non-family') is affected by the change. Also, the detailed classification of this variable is affected, since married couples and common-law couples were broken down into those 'without never-married sons or daughters' and 'with never-married sons or daughters'. For 2001 this reads 'without children' and 'with children', with the attendant change in meaning.

For additional information, please refer to the 2001 Census Dictionary, Catalogue Number 92-378-XIE or 92-378-XPE.

Special Note: Grandchildren

For 2001, changes made to the processing of family data have contributed to the increase in the number of grandchildren, compared with previous censuses. At the Canada level, 3.1 percentage points of the increase in the total count of grandchildren living with grandparents with no parent present from 1996 to 2001 is due to the change in processing. Specifically, figures show a 6.9% increase in grandchildren living in this situation from 1996 to 2001. The processing change is responsible for an increase of 3.1 percentage points, leaving a real increase of 3.8%.

Special Note: Nunavut (1)

Data from the 2001 Census are available for Nunavut, the new territory that came into effect on April 1, 1999.

Standard data products released only at the Canada/Province/Territory geographic levels will not contain data for Nunavut for the census years prior to 2001.

Standard data products released at the Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) and Census Agglomeration (CA) geographic levels will contain data for Nunavut for the 2001, 1996 and/or 1991 Censuses.

The 1996 and 1991 CMA/CA data have been adjusted to reflect as closely as possible the 2001 CMA/CA geographic boundaries. This has been done to facilitate data comparisons using the 2001 geographic boundaries.

For additional information, please refer to the 2001 Census Dictionary, Catalogue Number 92-378-XIE or 92-378-XPE.

Data table

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This table details age groups , number of grandparents and sex for grandchildren living with grandparents with no parent present in CanadaFootnote 1
Age Groups (12B) Number of Grandparents (3A)
Total - Living with grandparent(s)Footnote 2 Living with grandparent couple Living with one grandparent
Total - Age groups 56,790 28,395 28,395
Under 15 years 25,245 14,820 10,430
0-4 years 5,085 3,080 2,005
5-9 years 9,280 5,525 3,755
10-14 years 10,875 6,215 4,665
15-19 years 12,435 6,750 5,685
15-17 years 7,100 3,925 3,170
18 years 2,750 1,435 1,315
19 years 2,590 1,390 1,195
20-24 years 10,240 4,500 5,735
25-29 years 4,630 1,465 3,165
30 years and over 4,245 860 3,385

Footnotes

Footnote 1

Excludes census data for one or more incompletely enumerated Indian reserves or Indian settlements.

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Footnote 2

Refers to grandparents who are members of the grandchild's census family (2001 concept).

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Source: Statistics Canada, 2001 Census of Population, Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 97F0005XCB2001042.

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Footnotes

Footnote a

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Footnote b

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Footnote c

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Footnote d

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Related data

  • 2006 Census analysis series:
  • 2006 Census reference guides and technical reports: