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More same-sex couples being counted
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Following the legalization of same-sex marriage in Canada in July 2005, the 2006 Census enumerated same-sex married couples for the first time. The census counted 45,300 same-sex couples, making up 0.6% of all couples in Canada. Among that 45,300, 17% were same-sex married couples.
Although still few, the number of same-sex couples has increased five times faster than the number of opposite-sex couples. From 2001 to 2006, the number of same-sex couples grew 33%, whereas the number of opposite-sex couples grew 6%.
Quebec has Canada’s largest proportion of same-sex couples: 0.8% of all couples in 2006. Half of all same-sex couples lived in the three major census metropolitan areas of Toronto, Montréal and Vancouver.
In 2006, 54% of same-sex married spouses were men; 46% were women. Proportions were similar for same-sex common-law partners in both 2006 and 2001.
About 9% of individuals in same-sex couples had children aged 24 and under living at home in 2006. Children at home were more common for women in same-sex couples than for men. Also, same-sex married spouses were more likely to have children at home than were same-sex common-law partners.
People in same-sex couples were generally younger than their counterparts in opposite-sex couples: 25% of people in same-sex couples were aged 34 and younger, and 4% were seniors 65 or older. In opposite-sex couples, 18% were aged 34 and under, and 16% were seniors.
