填空题 Despite recent increases in common-law unions, marriage continues to form the foundation for most Canadian families. Statistics Canada researchers say that in 2010, about {{U}} {{U}} 1 {{/U}} {{/U}}were headed by married couples. The average age for first marriages {{U}} {{U}} 2 {{/U}} {{/U}}for both brides and grooms. In 2008, first-time brides were 31.7 years old, while grooms proclaimed their first marriage vows at an average age of {{U}} {{U}} 3 {{/U}} {{/U}}.
Only two decades earlier, women and men were 25.9 and 28.5 years old, respectively, when {{U}} {{U}} 4 {{/U}} {{/U}}. Statistics Canada attributes the change to {{U}} {{U}} 5 {{/U}} {{/U}}and the growing popularity of common-law unions.
The number of couples forgoing marriage {{U}} {{U}} 6 {{/U}} {{/U}}since 1988, the first time the statistic was tallied. At the time, there were 357,000 {{U}} {{U}} 7 {{/U}} {{/U}}—about six per cent of all couples. By the 2010 Census, roughly {{U}} {{U}} 8 {{/U}} {{/U}}were common law. Common-law unions {{U}} {{U}} 9 {{/U}} {{/U}}among young people and couples living in Quebec, where {{U}} {{U}} 10 {{/U}} {{/U}}of all families are common law.
Common-law unions tend to be {{U}} {{U}} 11 {{/U}} {{/U}}, though they often transform into marriage. However, those marriages break up far more frequently than {{U}} {{U}} 12 {{/U}} {{/U}}common-law relationships.
With {{U}} {{U}} 13 {{/U}} {{/U}}in 1968, grounds for divorce were extended to include "no-fault" divorce based on {{U}} {{U}} 14 {{/U}} {{/U}}; in 1986, the separation period was revised to one year.
Within a decade of the introduction of the Divorce Act, {{U}} {{U}} 15 {{/U}} {{/U}}, that is, the percentage of marriages that dissolved in the previous 30-year period, {{U}} {{U}} 16 {{/U}} {{/U}}of all marriages in 1969 to 30 per cent in 1975. The total crude divorce rate {{U}} {{U}} 17 {{/U}} {{/U}}per 100,000 inhabitants in 1987. The divorce rate {{U}} {{U}} 18 {{/U}} {{/U}}was 231 per 100,000 inhabitants. Statistics Canada figures from 2008 show the number of Canadians {{U}} {{U}} 19 {{/U}} {{/U}}is on the rise. Researchers found the number of marriage breakups involving husbands who have been divorced at least once {{U}} {{U}} 20 {{/U}} {{/U}}.