76 SEX, CONJUGAL CONDITION, AGE COMPOSITION OF VARIOUS STOCKS 
~lose correspondence between the percentages of single Canadian and British born males 
in each age group. The second significant fact is that between 25 and 70 years of age the 
foreign born males show a larger percentage who have never married than either the British 
ar Canadian born. That the foreign born males tend to marry younger than the Canadian 
horn and British born, is made clear on examination of the percentages for the lower age 
groups. In spite of the large shortage of women the foreign born males actually showed 
a smaller proportion single between the ages of 15 and 25 years than either of the other 
groups. 
In the figures for the females greater differences appear. The British born females 
show a smaller percentage single at all ages above 20 than do the Canadian born, and the 
foreign born females show much smaller percentages single at all ages than the British 
born. Thus a larger proportion of the foreign born women not only have married younger 
han the Canadian born, but the foreign born females have married to a far greater extent 
‘han the Canadian born women at all ages. The foreign born women (in proportion to 
their numbers) are therefore contributing to future population far more than the British 
born or Canadian born. This fact is extremely significant from the standpoint of the 
population structure of the country, and its importance is increased when one notes that 
the greatest differences between the proportions married are at the earlier ages of the child- 
bearing period. 
In the absence of separate figures for the different stocks and groups of foreign born, 
1 detailed analysis of the various origins in respect of conjugal condition is impossible, 
aut the section on age distribution, when read in connection with Chapter VI on inter- 
marriage, will provide the reader with material for making definite deductions as to the 
behaviour of the several stocks in the matter of marriage and as to the effect of their 
differing behaviour on the population structure of the Dominion. 
TABLE 38—PERCENTAGE OF POPULATION FIFTEEN YEARS OF AGE AND OVER SINGLE, BY 
QUINQUENNIAL AGE GROUPS AND SEX, CLASSIFIED AS CANADIAN, BRITISH OR FOREIGN 
BORN, FOR CANADA, 1921. 
Age Group 
30... eee 2 
Ee LR .e 
A PE rramerae rrr saad EERE. 
-F - sae 
me au Ea «oo. - 
a nse 
100 and over....... FN 
Males 
Per cent 
single 
Canadian Born 
| Females 
Per cent 
single 
99-44 
31-83 
17-50 
7-5: 
ry 
Rs 
93-04 
61-39 
23-94 
11; 
1-96 
Jd 
British Born 
Males ' Females 
Per cent , Percent 
single single 
i046 
Teg 
=7 
- 
CTLRe 
6% 
ro 
50-1 
22-20 
12-17 
£30 
Lege 
2 + % 
Foreign Born 
Males | Females 
Per cent | Per cent 
single single 
99-" 
£5 
43-0 
29-7: 
21-6¢ 
17-7 
‘4-86 
2-79 
~-81 
5" 
&r 
-47 
86-35 
36-93 
11-80 
6:09 
4.2L 
18 
6-5: 
9:02 
7-32 
ER 
THE AGE DISTRIBUTION OF THE FOREIGN BORN 
Just as an individual at one age is radically different in disposition, capacity and 
outlook from what he was at an earlier or will be at a later age, so a population differs 
materially with the changing age distribution of the people who compose it. A people with 
unduly large numbers in the prime of life has characteristics which are much less pronounced 
in a population with large numbers of small children or with a considerable proportion of 
men and women above middle age. In making comparisons, then, between different 
population groups in respect to social or anti-social behaviour, the age distribution is an 
important factor which must be reckoned with before valid conelusions can be reached.