Women are likely to wait longer than men before remarrying or re-partnering, according to Statistics Canada. Women waited an average of 4.8 years, while men waited 4.5 years.
In 2017, 26 per cent of the 11 million recorded couples in Canada found themselves in their second or subsequent marriage or common-law relationship.
Residents of Quebec were the most likely to jump into a second or subsequent relationship, as more than one-third of all couples in that province fall into that category. British Columbians are also eager to give marriage — be it formal or common-law — a second chance, with 28 per cent of B.C. couples in that category.
Residents of Ontario, meanwhile, might be suffering from a case of once bitten, twice shy. Less than two out of 10 couples (19 per cent) are on their second or subsequent marriage. That rate places them behind Canadians living in Atlantic Canada (27 per cent) and the Prairie provinces (25 per cent).
Place of birth also appears to be a factor in whether Canadians aim for a second shot at marital bliss, as those born in Canada were most likely to strike up a second or subsequent union.
So what does a second or subsequent union look like?
Few (18 per cent) jump into a second marriage right away. Twice as many (36 per cent) prefer a common-law union. This said, most common-law unions eventually turn into formal marriages (46 per cent).
As such, these figures appear to underscore Oscar Wilde, who famously said the following: “Marriage is the triumph of imagination over intelligence. Second marriage is the triumph of hope over experience.”
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