Canadians are \u201csplit into haves and have-nots by marriage lines,\u201d\u009d the report concludes. \u201cThe big story is that Canadian are divided along marriage lines by income, and that share of marriage has remained remarkably stable among high income earners,\u201d\u009d says co-author Peter Jon Mitchell, a senior researcher.<\/p>\n
Among its recommendations: The government should \u201cconsider tax initiatives and youth education campaigns that promote marriage,\u201d\u009d better work-life balance in workplace practices, and even support for marriage counselling, an approach adopted recently in Australia. Certainly, there\u2019s an economic and social value in helping families stay together, especially when kids are involved.<\/p>\n
But are Canadians split along marriage lines, or is income influence how they approach marriage? The Institute study argues \u201cthere is evidence for both.\u201d\u009d But if it\u2019s the latter, then encouraging the swapping of vows is not a particularly useful poverty measure on its own, as researchers in the United States have observed.<\/p>\n