Childbearing among Canadian stepfamilies

Abstract

This article analyses childbearing in stepfamilies in Canada, using the 2001 General Social Survey on family. It estimates the probability that stepfamily couples will give birth to a child according to the composition of the stepfamily, and then moves on to explore the factors that are associated with such an event. Particular attention is given to the type of union, parental status, and number of children of both partners. Contrary to past studies, this research is based not only on women’s retrospective conjugal and parental histories but also on those reported by male respondents, and it controls for women’s work status.