Stepfamily status of couple family with children

Status: This standard was approved as a departmental standard on July 31, 2026.

Definition

Stepfamily status refers to whether the two-parent family is a stepfamily, i.e., whether it includes at least one child who is the biological or adopted child of only one member of the couple.

Couple family with children refers to a census family that contains a married couple or a couple living common law and at least one child. The term 'two-parent family' can also be used when referring to a couple family with children.

Conformity to relevant internationally recognized standards

This standard is compatible with the recommendations for censuses contained in the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Conference of European Statisticians (UNECE-CES) "Recommendations for the 2030 Round of Population and Housing Censuses", 2025. The UNECE-CES recommendations include the definition (section 16.3.1) of a "reconstituted family" as a family nucleus composed of a couple with children in which at least one child is the biological or adopted child of only one spouse or partner in the couple.

Classifications

• Classification of stepfamily status July 31, 2026 to current

Relation to previous version

• Stepfamily status of couple family with children July 31, 2026 to current

  In French, the concept "Situation de famille recomposée" was renamed "Statut de famille recomposée." Minor wording revisions were made to the definition of the concept, statistical unit and the categories in the classification.

• Stepfamily status of couple family with children May 26, 2021 to July 30, 2026

  The definition of the statistical unit and the category names in the classification have been changed. The terminology used in the concept definition and the classification have been modified in French from 'partenaire en union libre' to 'conjoint de fait'.

• Stepfamily status of couple family with children November 16, 2015 to May 25, 2021

  This is an update to 'Stepfamily status of couple family with children', adding reference to children of common-law unions, for clarity.

• Stepfamily status of couple family with children September 19, 2011 to November 15, 2015

  This was the departmental standard from September 19, 2011 to November 15, 2015.