T. R. Balakrishnan

A Hazard Model Analysis Of The Covariates Of Marriage Dissolution In Canada

An examination of the marriage histories in the Canadian Fertility Survey confirm the fact that marriage dissolutions have been increasing rapidly in recent years. Cohort analyses by age and by year of marriage enable 1 to see that this is not just a timing effect and that the probabilities of dissolution in the 1st 10 years of marriage have indeed gone up especially among the young and the more recently married cohorts. Canadian rates are somewhat lower than those found in the US. This study was more concerned with the correlates of marriage dissolution rather than with trends which are better handled with vital statistics. There were very few surprises. Those who marry early were not religious had a premarital birth or lived in a large city had greater chances of separation. Some obviously important correlates such as income or occupation were not included here mainly due to lack of adequate data and given the time-dependent nature of these variables. The findings reveal that when it comes to marriage dissolution the differences according to demographic or socioeconomic characteristics seem to be far more important than say in other demographic events such as childbearing or mortality at least in the present social context in Canada. Conversely it makes little sense to treat the population as homogeneous in analyzing survival probabilities of marriages other than for cursory statistical analviss of global trends. (authors)

Contraceptive use in Canada 1984.

Canadas first national fertility survey, carried out by telephone in 1984, found that 68 percent of all women aged 18-49-73 percent of currently married women, 69 percent of the previously married women and 57 percent of single women--are practicing contraception. Overall, the most widely used method of birth control in Canada is sterilization (male and female), which is relied on by almost 60 percent of all married users and 66 percent of previously married users. Among single women, the preferred method is the pill, chosen by seven out of 10 of such users. Among all women, the major determinant of method choice is age: The pill is overwhelmingly chosen by women under 25, and sterilization, by those 30 and over. While the IUD and the condom are used by roughly 10-14 percent of women in their 20s who practice contraception, these methods decline in importance with increasing age. Highly educated women are less likely than those with little education to elect sterilization, and more likely to rely on barrier methods. Differences in contraceptive prevalence and patterns of use between Catholics and Protestants have all but disappeared in Canada, but church attendance and country of birth appear to exert a modest influence on method choice. As might be anticipated, women whose family size is complete have considerably higher levels of contraceptive use than those who expect to have more children. The survey reveals no difference in contraceptive use between Quebec women and those in the rest of Canada, thus confirming both the accuracy of earlier Quebec studies showing extremely high levels of sterilization and the applicability of these findings to all other Canadian women.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Social class versus cultural identity as factors in the residential segregation of ethnic groups in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver for 2001

This article examines the relevance of the spatial assimilation model in understanding residential segregation of ethnic groups in the three largest gateway cities of Canada. Using data from the census of 2001 it finds that while the model may have worked for the European groups they are less applicable to the visible minorities such as the Chinese, South Asians and Blacks. Residential segregation reduces with generation for the European groups but not for the visible minorities. Canadian patterns seem to be different from that seen in the United States. Many visible minority groups maintain their concentration levels even in the suburbs. The findings seem to indicate that cultural preferences may be just as important as social class in the residential choices of visible minority groups.

Timing of first birth and second birth spacing in Canada

In Canadian society the influence of first birth timing on the subsequent birth interval has been eroded over time, as shown by the Canadian Fertility Survey of 1984. The influence of first birth timing is significant for second births among women married during the baby boom period, but not for those married thereafter. Religiosity, marital status, and place of residence are significant factors in second birth timing in Canada.

Changes in timing of fertility—a Canadian experience

This paper examines the patterns of timing of births of women using data from the Canadian Fertility Survey of 1984. Semi-Markovian schemes are applied to the maternity histories of the 5315 sample women in their reproductive ages in order to measure the intensity and timing of childbearing. Age-and-duration-specific transition probabilities are found to have substantially changed for the more recent birth cohorts compared to the older cohorts.

Analysis of oral contraceptive use through multiple decrement life table techniques.

Multiple decrement life table technique is used to analyze the oral contraceptive use in a sample of once married women in Metropolitan Toronto. The overall pattern in the Canadian data is found to be essentially similar to that found in the U. S. Continuation rates show differences by cause of decrement. Two types of rates, net and absolute, are presented, and the relationship between single decrement continuation rates and total continuation rates is examined. Some problems of clinical versus retrospective sample survey data in studies of contraceptive effectiveness are commented on.

Status of women development and demographic change.

This paper examines the relationship of the status of women to demographic indicators such as crude birth and death rates infant mortality rates and female life expectancy at birth controlling for economic development. Using available data from 89 countries in the Third World it is shown that an increase in the status of women will have significant payoffs in terms of reducing fertility and mortality. Simplified path models indicate that the status of women as measured by female literacy rate has a greater effect on demographic variables than economic development. (SUMMARY IN FRE) (EXCERPT)

Recent trends and sociodemographic covariates of childlessness in Canada

This paper examines the trends and patterns of childlessness among ever married women in Canada using the data from the 1984 Canadian Fertility Survey. The proportional hazards model and the logistic regression are used for a detailed multivariate analysis of parity status. The results of the analysis with logistic regression of parity status indicate that shorter marriage duration higher education foreign birth current work and no cohabitation before marriage are some of the typical characteristics of the childless ever married women. Though the analysis does not show significant differences between once married currently married and women married more than once it does show that cohabitation before marriage is associated with higher parity. The proportional hazards model analysis is clearer and allows one to calculate risks for various groups of women. In general women who marry at age 22 or later and are married less than 5 years residing in large urban areas having grade 14 or more education with 1 or no siblings and currently working are more likely to remain childless compared to other groups. Relative risks for various cohorts at various ages have been presented and the role of childlessness in the overall framework of fertility decline in Canada is discussed. (authors)