Historically, unpartnered mothers (never married or previously married) have experienced lower employment rates than their partnered counterparts (those who are married or in a common-law partnership). Using data from the Labour Force Survey, this study assesses the degree to which employment and hourly wage rates of unpartnered mothers have caught up to their partnered peers. Focusing on mothers aged 18 to 49 living with at least one child aged 5 or younger, this trend analysis examines differences by marital status. The study also examines employment and wage gaps by various diverse groups,
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Historically, unpartnered mothers (never married or previously married) have experienced lower employment rates than their partnered counterparts (those who are married or in a common-law partnership). Using data from the Labour Force Survey, this study assesses the degree to which employment and hourly wage rates of unpartnered mothers have caught up to their partnered peers. Focusing on mothers aged 18 to 49 living with at least one child aged 5 or younger, this trend analysis examines differences by marital status. The study also examines employment and wage gaps by various diverse groups, such as the experiences of immigrant mothers, as well as Indigenous mothers.
The study found that, between 1997 and 2023, the employment rate for all mothers living with one or more young child (aged 5 or younger) rose 11 percentage points, from 62 per cent in 1997 to 73 per cent in 2023. The growth rate in employment varied by marital status. Employment growth was nearly double for unpartnered mothers (+17 percentage points) than it was for partnered mothers (+9 percentage points). The differing rate of growth resulted in a narrowing of the historical gap between unpartnered and partnered mothers. In 2023, the employment rate for unpartnered mothers stood at 64 per cent - a 10-point difference with partnered mothers (74 per cent), much smaller than the 1990s employment gap of 18 percentage points. Gaps in employment rates between partnered and unpartnered mothers decreased in all provinces, except for Alberta. Employment gaps narrowed most in British Columbia and Quebec.
Among unpartnered mothers, previously married mothers had higher employment rates (71 per cent) than their never married peers (61 per cent) in 2023. Indeed, the employment rate of previously married mothers has become on par with married or common law mothers, with the closing of the employment gap from 1997 to 2023 (by 5 percentage points). The employment gap between never married unpartnered mothers and partnered mothers persisted (61 per cent versus 74 per cent) but has narrowed by 11 percentage points over the same time period. While change in age composition was a leading contributor to the narrowing of the gap, approximately three-quarters of the change could not be explained by the demographic variables studied.
Educational attainment and age played a large role in the differences in employment rates between never married mothers and partnered mothers in both 1997 and 2023. In particular, these factors explained 61 per cent of the employment gap in 2023. On average, hourly wages for unpartnered mothers were 19 per cent lower than married or common law mothers, with virtually no change since 1997. Relative to partnered mothers, the wage gap for unpartnered mothers was greater among never married mothers (23 per cent) than it was for previously married mothers (10 per cent) in 2023.
Edited excerpts from publication.
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