[Family life cycle in Quebec: comparative views, seventeenth to twentieth centuries]

A comparison of the family life cycle in Quebec at the end of the seventeenth century and in the middle of the twentieth century is presented. "For both periods, calculations of comparative indices were carried out in the absence of mortality and divorce. This allows the emphasizing of the outstanding features of the family life cycle....In particular, the considerable reduction in the duration of the extensive phase [is noted; this] is linked to the significant drop in fertility, and the emerging of a long phase of stabilization during which the parents are responsible for all their children. Finally, an examination of the proportion of undissolved families at each stage clearly shows the dramatic impact of mortality on family life in the past." (summary in ENG, SPA)