During Quebec Fatherhood Week, we have plenty of reasons to celebrate. Quebec’s “new fathers” are more involved in their family lives than any generation before them.
The days of the breadwinner father—that simple authority figure incapable of changing a diaper—seem to be well and truly over. Today’s dads are involved in every stage of their children’s development, from daycare to graduation, and are key players on their parenting team.
This small revolution took place over several decades, as our society’s values evolved. However, the family policies adopted by the Quebec government starting in the late 1990s—particularly the implementation of the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP) in 2006—marked a turning point. They accelerated the change.
Fifteen years ago, only 20% of Quebec fathers dared to take paternity leave. We are now more than 90% do so, which is by far the highest rate in the country, while the average in other Canadian provinces remains below 25%. Over the years, numerous studies have shown that this increased presence of Quebec fathers at birth has a lasting impact on their family involvement, including in planning and sharing household chores.
What's next?
We’ve made huge strides, to the point where Quebec dads are now among the most involved in their families—not just in Canada, but around the world. Everyone benefits: dad, mom, and the kids. It’s great! But…why stop now?
Despite this remarkable progress, the long march toward equality is far from over. We must admit that a persistent imbalance remains between the family responsibilities shouldered by mothers and fathers. In fact, the pandemic, remote work, and the closure of schools and daycare centers have widened this gap, often increasing the mental load borne by women.
Unfortunately, even though they are progressive, our family policies still tend to perpetuate this imbalance. Beyond the five weeks set aside for them, fathers are still hesitant to take time off work to care for their children. According to the most recent data released by the RQAPQuebec mothers take an average of 45 weeks of leave after childbirth, compared to seven weeks for fathers. And in 70% of couples, the so-called “shareable” parental leave weeks are taken entirely by the mother.
Some fathers “don’t feel they have the right to negotiate the division of parental leave weeks. The label ‘maternity leave’ attached to these many weeks and the idea that the mother is best suited to take it lead them to abandon this desire to be more present, not without frustration or regret,” explains sociologist and author Valérie Harvey in one of her many articles on the subject.
This imbalance has far-reaching consequences. It hinders women’s career advancement; at a pivotal point in their careers, they must put their aspirations on hold to focus full-time on their role as mothers for one, two, or three years—or even longer. Conversely, it stifles the paternal drive of many men, who will likely never have another opportunity like this to care for their babies at home on their own.
To encourage greater sharing of parental leave, the Quebec government amended the QPIP in 2020. However, the changes merely offered parents additional weeks of “shareable” benefits, without altering the duration of paternity leave. The intention is commendable, but many doubt the real impact of such a measure. Quebec could have been more bold and followed the path set by Iceland, where paternity leave has been gradually extended to a full four months reserved exclusively for fathers. Nothing less!
Accelerate change
At first glance, the platforms of all the political parties represented in the National Assembly are full of measures aimed at promoting greater gender equality in all spheres of our society. This is a value on which there is a consensus in Quebec and which transcends partisan lines.
Ironically, extending paternity leave has been the subject of very few policy proposals or demands to date, even though it would help achieve greater equality where men and women spend most of their time: at home, with their families.
As we emerge from a pandemic that has significantly disrupted the daily lives of fathers and mothers, and with the next general election about a year away, now would be a good time to start thinking about it.
New fathers in Quebec certainly don’t need such a measure to continue taking their rightful place. In any case, our little revolution will continue, slowly but surely. However, there is still room to dare to accelerate the change.
