Many Canadian couples opting to live apart

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Years of marriage, a strong sense of commitment, but living in completely separate homes: there are many Canadian couples who choose to “live apart together.”

Some sociologists consider so-called LATs a new family form, which is why governments statistics agencies around the world are looking at the numbers. Statistics Canada says seven per cent of Canadian couples over the age of 20 fell into the category in 2011, down from eight per cent in 2001.

Most LATS are younger (under the age of 29), but the trend is growing among older Canadians. Two per cent of boomers hitting 60 and older live apart together.

They’re also the most likely to say they do it by choice, not by circumstance, with 37 per cent saying it’s about independence. Aging LAT couples are also the most likely to live close together, with 45 per cent living in the same neighbourhood.

From across the hall to across the country, many LAT couples say the arrangement works well for them, helping deal with difficult work or sleep schedules while remaining intimate.

Famous celebrity LAT couples include Woody Allen and Mia Farrow, who lived on either side of New York’s Central Park; and Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton and their two children who live next door to each other in London.

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