Latest census data shows Alberta's gender diversity among couples, parents for first time

Alberta has an idea of its gender diversity among couples and parents for the first time, following the latest release of census data.

Statistics Canada released more 2021 census data Wednesday, this time about families, households and marital status; income; and Canadian military experience.

The 2021 census was the first to ask a question that differentiated a person's sex at birth from their gender.

As a result, StatsCan could identify the number of different-sex and same-sex married or common-law couples, as well as those couples with at least one person who is transgender and/or non-binary.

The data also shows how many of those couples have children and how many do not.

The vast majority of couples in Alberta — nearly 99 per cent — are between men and women, data shows. Slightly more than half of those couples have children.

There are 975,245 men and women who are married or common-law in Alberta.

There are about 8,170 same-sex couples in the province — about 4,300 with two women, and about 3,900 with two men.

A greater proportion of female couples have children than do male couples, however, data shows. About one in four female couples have children, while about eight per cent of male couples have children.

There are more than 4,000 couples with at least one person who is transgender or non-binary — 2,730 transgender couples, 1,325 non-binary couples.

"This is a bit lower than you might expect, given the overall numbers of transgender and non-binary people," said Jenny Godley, a University of Calgary associate professor of sociology. 

This is less surprising because many transgender and non-binary people tend to be young, and younger people are often less likely to be married or common-law, she explained.

About one in three transgender couples have children, while about one in five non-binary couples have children.

COVID-19 impact on income

The census data also included information about the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on Albertans' income in 2020.

More than three in five Albertans aged 15 or older received federal or provincial pandemic benefits, including the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, among others, in the early part of the pandemic, data shows.

Nearly $10 billion total was sent to Albertans through pandemic subsidies, data shows. The average amount received was $4,748.

Most of the money — about 89 per cent — was sent through federal benefits.

"We're getting a really good picture of things that were going on [early] during the pandemic," said Michelle Maroto, a University of Alberta associate professor of sociology.

Data shows about 216,000 more Albertans went without employment income in 2020 than in 2015. The median employment income also dropped from $46,000 to $41,600 — a decrease of 6.3 per cent, the most in the country.

The median after-tax income — which offers a better picture of how much disposable money people have — also dropped in Alberta by 4.3 per cent, from $87,000 in 2015, to $83,000 in 2021.

StatsCan says resource-rich provinces were affected by oil prices, as well as pandemic restrictions.

But COVID-19 benefits, coupled with expanding existing programs such as the Canada Child Benefit, likely helped individuals and families stay afloat in the early part of the pandemic, said Maroto.

The latest income data, however, only covers the year 2020. So it does not account for current fiscal issues, such as inflation and affordability, she said.

"We've seen a lot of things actually change since 2020," she said. "We got a good picture of the pandemic, but we might not necessarily see how things are for people right now." 

Alberta has 3rd most active military members

Wednesday marked the first time in 50 years census data about military experience was released, StatsCan told CBC News. The 2021 census was also the first to ask Canadians if they are currently serving, according to the StatsCan website.

Data shows there are 97,625 Canadians aged 17 or older currently serving in the Armed Forces, including 10,350 Albertans — the third most among the provinces and territories. Only Quebec and Ontario have more.

Half of the active military members from Alberta are living in the Edmonton census metropolitan area, data shows.

StatsCan notes that, despite the Canadian Armed Forces making changes to be more inclusive to women, the disparity between male and female members is much greater than in other industries.

Around one in five active military members from Alberta are women.

Women and members of the LGBT community in the military have also had "less favourable" experiences, particularly regarding the CAF's culture of sexual misconduct, Stats Can said.