Remarriage of older Canadians: description and interpretation

The remarriage experience of Canadian men and women aged 55 and over at time of survey are described using data from the Canadian Family History Survey, carried out in 1984 by Statistics Canada. Data pertain to approximately 1,300 women and 1,100 men. Remarriage is put in the context of total life cycle experience by means of a simple decomposition of the lifetime probability of remarriage. The analysis highlights the greater exposure of women to remarriage (due to high rates of widowhood) but their lower remarriage rates compared to men. The sex differential in remarriage remains when age at dissolution is controlled. A major regional differential is found in remarriage patterns in Canada, with residents of Quebec showing appreciably lower remarriage rates following divorce than the rest of the country. An interpretation of the observed patterns suggests the need for more attention to motivation in the study of remarriage behavior.