Marriage and the family continue to weaken in a number of countries. In Canada, close to 1.2 million couples were living in a common-law relationship in 2001, up 20% from 1995, the Globe and Mail newspaper reported July 11, 2002. By contrast, the number of married couples increased just 3%, to 6.4 million from 6.2 million, over the same period. The figures come from Statistics: Canada's General Social Survey, which collected information on relationship ties, marital splits and new unions. In 2001, almost 90% of Canadian …showed first 75 words of 908 total…

…showed last 75 words of 908 total…Post, about half of the divorcees studied were happy five years later, while two-thirds of those who stayed put found happiness over the same period. The study also showed that divorce did not enhance self-esteem or alleviate depression. The team of researchers, led by University of Chicago sociologist Linda Waite, analyzed data on 5,232 married adults interviewed for the National Survey of Families and Households. Yes, it would seem that family life is the good life!