An Analysis of Dual-Earner Families in Canada

The aim of this paper is to provide a general overview of dual-earner families in Canada. This paper is primarily a survey paper which provides an analysis of the existing literature and data on this topic. Unfortunately, little research has been done in Canada on dual-earner families specifically. However, much research has been undertaken with respect to the labour force behaviour of married women. By combining the findings of previous research on the labour force behaviour of married women, together with relevant family data, we can get a general descriptive profile of dual-earner families in Canada. It should be emphasized that the family data that is available is not sufficient to provide a detailed economic analysis in this respect. Furthermore, the methods in which family data have been collected over the years makes it difficult to draw comparisons from one year to the next. Despite this problem, data that is available from the Census publications, the Labour Force Survey and the Survey of Consumer Finances will be used in this analysis.