This paper focuses on the determinants of the likelihood of a remarriage (marriage) for female heads with children. Using retrospective data from Statistics Canada's 1990 Family History Survey, the study attempts to identify, which socioeconomic characteristics of single mothers are conducive to conjugal union formation (formal or informal). Particular attention is given to external time-varying economic covariates, so as to disentangle the impact they exert on single mothers' propensity to start living with a (new) partner. The empirical analysis is carried out using a proportional hazards model which permits the estimation of the effects of various covariates on the hazard of exiting single parenthood. The most striking result is the strong effect of provincial welfare benefits on conjugal union formation. However, the analysis reveals that single motherhood, far from representing a final state, remains a transitory situation for a majority of women.

Pierre Lefebvre and Philip Merrigan are professors of economics at the University of Quebec in Montreal. Support for this study was provided by grants from the Conseil quebecois de la recherche sociale and the Fonds FCAR (ministere de l'Education du Quebec). The authors wish to thank, Martin Dooley, an anonymous referee, Robert Leonard, and Denise Jarvinen for their invaluable suggestions and comments. They also thank Celine LeBourdais, Helene Desrosiers and Nathalie Vachon of INRS-Urbanisation in Montreal assistance with the data set used for this study, and Yuri Bodjov and Yuan St.-Pierre for excellent research assistance. The authors claim responsibility for all errors. The data used in this article can be obtained beginning in November 1998 through October 2001 from the authors: Departement de sciences economiques, Universite du Quebec a Montreal and Center for Research on Economic Fluctuations and Employment (CREFE), C.P. 8888, Succ. Centre-Ville, Montreal (Quebec) CANADA, H3C 3P8.