New Stats about Canadian Households/Families came out - Pretty Interesting Stuff

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Roasted

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I read this in the paper this morning across a bunch of articles so this article might not contain all the info but it should give you an idea:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2012/09/19/census-data-families-households.html?cmp=rss

In a nutshell:
*Households 50 years ago were the stereotypical image of a "family": Mom, Dad, 2+ kids, etc.
*Now there is a ton of people living by themselves, single parents (including more single dads..though that's still only ~20%) , same sex couples, common law couples with no kids, etc.
*Tons of people in their 20's living with parents (duhhhh!), much more than 10-20 years ago, women tend to move out earlier than men

Some of my own feelings on this?
First, I'm a prime example of this. I'm 30, living by myself, no real interest in marriage or even moving in with someone any time soon. I lived with parents through most of my 20's.

Second, when I look at my friends most of them are EXACTLY like me. VERY few of my friends have kids. VERY VERY few are married or even in steady relationships. Many of my younger friends are still living with mommy and daddy despite being WELL into their 20's (27-28 ). I was talking to a dude at the gym yesterday and he's in his mid-30's and he's divorced with kids and basically single again. Another chick I know is divorced without kids at like 28.

Third, for a while I thought it was still the norm to get married in late 20's or ~30, have kids, etc. and this was pretty much expected of you and I was being a "free thinker" and going "against the grain" by not following this lifestyle. The reality is that this is ********. I'm not the exception, I'm the rule! Makes you think how much of what you do is actually free will and your own decisions and how much of your life is simply shaped by political, economical, and social forces and you're just following the trends like a sheep.

Over all, it seems like the entire old definition of family life is basically obsolete. Sure, there is still people doing the normal family thing but if you don't want to now adays, you don't have to. And it seems many people don't. I predict lots of bars, clubs, social clubs, etc. opening that cater to the 30-50 year olds because I can definitely see an influx of single people at those ages that want to date. Also, not many people are having kids any more! The outlook seems pretty grim for the future.
 
Roasted said:
.... The outlook seems pretty grim for the future.
Click to expand...

I guess you are right, there are reasons to be concerned here. But, the bottom line, there is a new reality setting in, and it could be good too, not everyhting is bad.

Canadian society is changing way faster than ever before, that's for sure.

Note: we're going to need more immigrants to keep this country going
 
It ain't cheap having kids these days. With two working parents, daycare can be pretty damn expensive. I'm in the 30-something range, and most of my old friends are childless - those that do have kids, had not planned to have them (which is hilarious in this day and age). Not to mention, there are a ton of people my age who just don't have the financial security or maturity to take on such a monumentally important role.

It makes me wonder if people have really changed from previous generations though. My mother had her first child when she was 21, still pretty much a child herself. Was she *really* that much more prepared than my generation? I've asked her about it and she's admitted that she had no freakin' clue what she was doing. Her mother pretty much had to hold her hand through most of it. I guess people back then just DID IT and somehow muddled their way through marriage and parenthood, because that's what society expected of them. On the downside, those who weren't entirely suited to the task raised some pretty messed up kids.

I dunno. Arguments on population aside, I don't really see it as a negative thing. I leave it up to individuals as to whether they believe they are suited to be parents. If they don't *want* that lifestyle, I can't see how they could possibly make good parents. And nothing is more important that being a loving, responsible parent to your children.
 
Call me oldschool but "dating" in your late 30s, 40s, 50s is just pathetic.

Also, I don't think I will ever understand the people that don't have kids to be wealthier. Try harder, earn more money instead if you are that greedy?
 
short stop said:
I dunno. Arguments on population aside, I don't really see it as a negative thing.
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Let's just say that I'm glad my parents didn't have the same attitude about marriage and children as I do now or I wouldn't be here today. Someone's gotta keep humanity going and I'm not gonna lie, I feel a little guilty about not pitching in.

I agree about the preparedness though. THe truth is that parenthood is not something you can prepare for. You will NEVER feel prepared for that first child 100%. You just do it and learn along. It's kind of like riding a motorcycle for the first time. You can read all you want, watch videos for months, but until you actually get on one and start playing with the controls, you don't know crap about what it's actually like.
 
georgy said:
Call me oldschool but "dating" in your late 30s, 40s, 50s is just pathetic.

Also, I don't think I will ever understand the people that don't have kids to be wealthier. Try harder, earn more money instead if you are that greedy?
Click to expand...

You are old school. People like you are a dying breed.

Also, here is a random conversation I had at the gym.

2 Random dudes talking: "I'm not saying 40 year olds but 22 year olds?!?"
Me overhearing: "What's wrong with 22 year olds?" *nudge nudge* [I'm thinking they're talking about chicks]
Dude 1: "We're talking about owning a bar. 22 year olds don't have money so you don't want to cater to them"
Me: "True, people around 30 seem to be the sweet spot. Once people are 40+ they generally don't go out"
Dude 1: "In our world they do! You know, Church street area"
Me: "Oh, .......... I see"

In other words they were GAY. I guess it's pretty normal for gay guys to date in their 40's because kids are not a factor and marriage is much less a factor also. Since this seems more and more a case for straight people I can see the gay community being a model for the future in general.
 
Funny, was talking to a friend on Monday about redefining family unit. There are lots of ppl with kids that need help. There are lots of people who want kids, like kids but have not met the right person yet or for what ever reason are past their prime. How about a "family share" where they have a platonic relationship with the family, join their unit, help with kids, be part of family holidays etc...
 
georgy said:
Also, I don't think I will ever understand the people that don't have kids to be wealthier. Try harder, earn more money instead if you are that greedy?
Click to expand...

Absolutely agree with you there. In this other forum, called “Red Flag Deals”... well, if you know RFD, you know the rest of the story. There are a few people there that have extreme opinions about wealth, and will do absurd things, like not enjoy life at all, as long as they can increase their bank account balance.

John F. Kennedy said... "Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men"
 
I'm 25 and i wish i had kids by now so i can grow up with them rather then seeing them graduate high school when im in a retirement home....but thats not going to happen and time soon...money is a big issues these days and i dont have it :P , and thinking about it now if i want to start some schooling now or get into a trade or anything, i would be in my 30s by the time id finish & have a good pay. The second one is women i mean there's alot of women out there but it's hard enough for me to find one that i actually like/ share common interests with. Even the people that i know that have $$$ and good careers they tell me they have no time for kids or they dont want kids or they just ****** around.
 
kanabis said:
I'm 25 and i wish i had kids by now so i can grow up with them rather then seeing them graduate high school when im in a retirement home....but thats not going to happen and time soon...money is a big issues these days and i dont have it :P , and thinking about it now if i want to start some schooling now or get into a trade or anything, i would be in my 30s by the time id finish & have a good pay. The second one is women i mean there's alot of women out there but it's hard enough for me to find one that i actually like/ share common interests with. Even the people that i know that have $$$ and good careers they tell me they have no time for kids or they dont want kids or they just ****** around.
Click to expand...

what you need is a sugar momma! ;)
 
This is directly related to the de-valuation of the currency and government control of everything.

Why is it that a one income earner can provide for an entire family from the late 1960's to the early 1980's?

Then from the mid-90's to 2012 that is not even possible.

Your purchasing power has decreased everyday. You can pretend it's something else, but that's the real cause. Since the US Fed has announced QE forever. Prepare for more companies to leave the country and more unemployment.

Roasted said:
I read this in the paper this morning across a bunch of articles so this article might not contain all the info but it should give you an idea:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2012/09/19/census-data-families-households.html?cmp=rss

In a nutshell:
*Households 50 years ago were the stereotypical image of a "family": Mom, Dad, 2+ kids, etc.
*Now there is a ton of people living by themselves, single parents (including more single dads..though that's still only ~20%) , same sex couples, common law couples with no kids, etc.
*Tons of people in their 20's living with parents (duhhhh!), much more than 10-20 years ago, women tend to move out earlier than men
Click to expand...
 
BLUE_KAWI said:
This is directly related to the de-valuation of the currency and government control of everything.

Why is it that a one income earner can provide for an entire family from the late 1960's to the early 1980's?

Then from the mid-90's to 2012 that is not even possible.

Your purchasing power has decreased everyday. You can pretend it's something else, but that's the real cause. Since the US Fed has announced QE forever. Prepare for more companies to leave the country and more unemployment.
Click to expand...

I think a bigger problem is caused by society's buy now pay later mentality. 40 years ago most people would take months to save up and purchase a TV now you can go to Best Buy and sign a few papers and walk out with your new 50" TV. Yay for paying twice as much with interest.

I was raised till I was put out own at 16 that is you don't have the money you cant afford it. I spent the last 15 years living this way and somehow managed to go to college and purchase a house and have vehicles all without taking out a loan or credit card. Anybody who tells you it cant be done is either to damn lazy to work hard or to damn scared to sacrifice things.

All that being said I managed to take out a home equity line of credit to do a massive addition and renovation this year that is already a 1/4 payed off. It will likely be paid off 4 years ahead of when most people would. It really came down to the fact I was no longer willing to give up my summers to work on my house and wanted to enjoy it a little.
 
I heard they lumped married men living away from their spouses and working in Fort Mcmurray into same sex marriages. Who knew stats canada was good for laughs?
 
BLUE_KAWI said:
This is directly related to the de-valuation of the currency and government control of everything.

Why is it that a one income earner can provide for an entire family from the late 1960's to the early 1980's?

Then from the mid-90's to 2012 that is not even possible.

Your purchasing power has decreased everyday. You can pretend it's something else, but that's the real cause. Since the US Fed has announced QE forever. Prepare for more companies to leave the country and more unemployment.
Click to expand...

Oh, I agree. The baby boomers essentially raped this generation financially. Insane tuition prices, crazy housing costs, etc. They didn't have to deal with any of this and now they're gonna retire and us suckers will be paying their rent for the next 20 years. This generation has it BAD and it sucks but there is not much we can do. It is what it is.
 
Roasted said:
You are old school. People like you are a dying breed.

Also, here is a random conversation I had at the gym.

2 Random dudes talking: "I'm not saying 40 year olds but 22 year olds?!?"
Me overhearing: "What's wrong with 22 year olds?" *nudge nudge* [I'm thinking they're talking about chicks]
Dude 1: "We're talking about owning a bar. 22 year olds don't have money so you don't want to cater to them"
Me: "True, people around 30 seem to be the sweet spot. Once people are 40+ they generally don't go out"
Dude 1: "In our world they do! You know, Church street area"
Me: "Oh, .......... I see"

In other words they were GAY. I guess it's pretty normal for gay guys to date in their 40's because kids are not a factor and marriage is much less a factor also. Since this seems more and more a case for straight people I can see the gay community being a model for the future in general.
Click to expand...

Not having kids makes for a lot of disposable income. My partner and I do not want kids, so we spend that money on ourselves instead (yay for stimulating the economy :lol:).

Actual conversation I had with my partner:
"Honey, let's get ATVs."
"Sure, but let's get guns to go with them as well."

On the flip side, I do know gay couples who have kids. I think the main difference is that it's much harder to have children as a gay couple - you can't 'accidentally' have kids as a gay couple, so both partners pretty much have to be financially and emotionally ready before it happens.
 
Roasted said:
Over all, it seems like the entire old definition of family life is basically obsolete. The outlook seems pretty grim for the future.
Click to expand...

It's grim from an evolutionary progenic perspective maybe ?... but the world is already over populated... the fact that in western countries (this is a trend in all western/first world nations) there is a population decline happening, in many euro countries it's an even stronger decline, is probably a good thing if we talk about global resources etc. Yes these countries will need to rely on immigration to sustain their economies.

The question is - is the "traditional single family unit model" an artificial construct ? or is it an innate biological tendancy ? I think the answer is that it's an artificial construct that was originally designed to advance the interests of certain factions i.e. religious-political ideologies, to it's current progressive stage... we now live in an age where progression is defined by economy - and single dwellings actually help to perpetuate the economy better then a family, and so does divorce - the reality is that "sharing" anything is not good for the economy - you should have your OWN everything - your own house, your own car, your own sofa, your own tv, more spending. Divorce also perpetuates economy - division of assets, lawyers fees, bankruptcy, purchase of separate dwellings, new furnishings - So perhaps this move towards isolationism is social-economy influenced. It's the same reason why we see all these condo's going up all over the place - condo's are not really suitable for families - they are ideal for single person dwellings - with a single person lifestyle, living in the city - being social - spending money on dinners, drinks, outings - because this is all better for the economy - spend spend spend!

In many other countries, perhaps those considered "less progressive" the "traditional single family unit model" isn't and was never particularly prevalent in any event - most people live in extended family arrangements where there is some form of co-habitation among grandparents, in laws, adult siblings with their families as well and you see this tradition carried over by immigrants - i.e. one brother living with his family on the main floor, the other brother living with his family in the basement apartment, parents live with them, all the adults are working the grandparents take care of the kids, etc.
 
Roasted said:
Oh, I agree. The baby boomers essentially raped this generation financially. Insane tuition prices, crazy housing costs, etc. They didn't have to deal with any of this and now they're gonna retire and us suckers will be paying their rent for the next 20 years. This generation has it BAD and it sucks but there is not much we can do. It is what it is.
Click to expand...

The more I look at the "traditional" model of north american life, the more convinced I am at how unsustainable it is. Going to school, spending thousands on university, spending thousands to get married, spending thousands to buy a house and a car, spending thousands to raise kids and put them through school, at which point they'd have to spend thouands, etc, etc.

Where the hell is all of this money coming from?
 
Back then you'd start early, everything was more accessible.

It wasnt easy but lets just say "more forgiving"

Right now if you make a mistake, it's not as easy.

Whether it be personal finances, family-wise, career-choice wise, everything is a lot more expensive and therefore mistakes a costlier and will set you back for a longer time as it's more competitive in today's world.

And yes i could be more vague.
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