Divorce In

Canada
By: Angel, Jackson,

Introduction
On average, 150,000 couples get
married in Canada per year.
Did you know that the divorce rate
sits just below 50%?
That means that almost HALF of
all marriages end in divorce.

Divorce in Canada
Stats and Facts
Causes
Different types of divorce
Impact on males and
females

1.
Stats and Facts
Lets start with the statistics and facts surrounding divorce.

Stats and Facts

Brief History
In 1968, the Divorce Act in Canada
was passed
Gave the federal parliament the
jurisdiction to regulate divorce
Expanded the grounds of divorce

Divorce was uncommon until after

WW2

Only NS, NB and BC had divorce courts

prior to WW1

Stats and Facts

Divorce Rates
Divorce rates increased dramatically between 1968 and 1985, after the
Divorce Act and its amendment in 1985, were passed
Since then, divorce rates have plateaued, as numbers have minorly
fluctuated throughout the years

Statistics
1 in 2 marriages end in divorce.
In 2008, there were exactly 72,229
divorces
The median age that men divorce at
is 44
The median age that women
divorce at is 41
The majority of divorces (24.6%)
end between the 5-9th year of
marriage

2.
Causes
What causes most divorces?

Causes
The top 5 reasons for divorce:
Different values/interests
Abuse: Physical and emotional
Alcohol and drugs
Infidelity
Career-related conflict
Exchange theory perspective when the costs are
bigger than the benefits, divorce is most likely to occur

Causes
Factors affecting compatibility lead to a
greater risk of divorce. This includes:
Dissimilar backgrounds (intermarriages)
Teenage marriage
Pregnant bride
Low socio-economic status
Limited education
Presence of stepchildren

Additional causes
Not willing to work hard enough
on their marriage
Lack of communication skills
High or unmet expectations
Lack of individual identity
Finances (lack of compatibility
towards shared money)
Getting married for the wrong
reasons such as for money only
Falling out of love as individuals
change in time
Parenting style differences

3.
Types of Divorce
The different types, methods and variations of divorce.

Types of Divorce
Contested
Couples do not agree
Disagreements can be
about divorce itself, or
aspects of the divorce
These aspects or terms
can be custody, access,
support, property division,
etc
Lawyers must be retained
and courts must be
involved
.

Uncontested
Spouses agree
about divorce and
terms
They sign a
separation
agreement
Quicker processes
than contested
divorces

Types of Divorce
Annulment

An annulment is a legal procedure which cancels a marriage

between a man and a woman. Legally, it declares that the marriage
never existed.
You can get an annulment in Canada, based on criteria:

1. If youve married someone who was already married and you did not know
that when you married
2. Shotgun weddings can be annulled.
3. If you dont have the mental capacity to understand what a marriage is
4. If you marry someone who is too closely related to you
5. If you married under the age of 18 without your parents consent, you may be
able to get an annulment.

4.
Impact on Males &
Females
How does divorce impact both genders differently?

Impact on Males
Financial Impact
Dividing assets
between spousal and
child supports
payments
Can result in financial
stress

Emotional Impact
Divorce affects men more negatively than women
On average, 23% of men are left devastated, whereas with women the figure
was lower at 20%

Men were more likely to take time off from work (8% vs 6%) as well as being
more likely to be unable to work as well as usual (13% vs 10%).
More women will spend more of their time with friends (51% vs 38%), while
men are more likely to turn to alcohol (33% to 23%) or casual sex (23% vs
12%).
More than two years after a divorce, 41% of men were still sad about the
failure of their marriage; for women the figure was only 33%.
Divorced and unmarried men have mortality rates up to 250% higher than
married men.
Leads to trust issues in other relationships
After two years, 15% of men remarried, while only 5%of women remarried.

Impact on Females
The Facts:
90% of divorced
mothers have
custody of their
children.

60% of people
under poverty
guidelines are
divorced
women and
children.

65% of divorced
mothers receive
no child support.

Impact on Females
Financial Impacts

Without husband's salary, women will have less money to cover bills and
household expenses.
The average divorced woman has less money than the average married
woman

Emotional Impacts

Divorce may leave a woman feeling hurt, lonely and unhappy

Women may bear the scars of the broken relationship for a long time
Mistrust
Divorced women have a higher psychological and mental distress levels
than married women

Impact on Females
Taking Control:
The first few years after divorce are a time
of significant personal growth, with greater
independence and more personal choices

Decision maker .


N
O
I
S
U
L
C
N
O
C
IN
Rate of marriage in Canada is declining
In todays society, the traditional portrait
of a family is being transformed
Same sex couples, cohabitation, single
parenting, etc.
Unfortunately, divorce rates are
increasingly high, and can be caused by
many factors within a relationship
Hard process, both partners are affected

Thank you.