Fathers Day - a reflection on the changing Canadian family

Father’s Day – perhaps better known at the opportunity to restock the supplies of ties, which themselves are an antiquated form of torture, a reminder how close our foreparents were to having a noose around their necks for the least of offenses. 

The day has increased in stature, and Hallmark dutifully produces a unique line of appropriate gift cards (with only a slight hint of corporate capitalism to pad their bottom line). 

There is a trend noted in the 2006 and reaffirmed in the botched 2011 National Household survey, of biologic children from non-continuing marriages which are living with their father. Most notable as a trend is that now up to 21% of where children are living with a lone parent, that the lone parent is the father.    

 For new couples, roughly 8% of children are with their biologic father and step mother.  New to the 2011 survey was more detail on blended family situations for which prior comparisons are lacking. 

Statistics Canada has continued their welcomed trend of releasing special day information of relevance, check on the  Fathers Day  iteration. Of particular note is the gross disparity where 80% of Quebec fathers have or intend on taking parental leave, where outside of Quebec this is less than 10%. 

So to the 8.6 Million Canadian Fathers – Happy Fathers Day, you are not alone.