Changes and Stability in Marital Status: Evidence from Canadian Income Tax Returns

We use a 20 percent longitudinal sample of Canadian personal income tax returns to explore patterns and changes in marital status, with focus on cohort behaviour. define five different cohorts, each starting age 1995, follow over 20-year data period. consider compare the patterns, giving special attention stability married common law unions, for that purpose distinguishing unions same partner from those one. Comparisons show shift toward an increased proportion reporting themselves as single or living union decreased married. The declines, new increases, implying some reduction marriage stability. Common more at younger ages, appear unstable, but much apparent instability is removed when would transition are taken into account; premarital first stage appears be increasingly common. At older ages death major terminating factor end marriage, most prominently among males: widowhood (death partner) accounts larger fraction terminations women, men, reflecting differences life expectancy average.