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More fathers embracing parenthood, study finds More fathers embracing parenthood, study finds

Fathers increasingly hands-on, StatsCan reports Jun 24, 2008

Toronto Star, by Andrea Gordon, Family Issues reporter, June 24, 2008

More Canadian fathers are embracing parenthood and taking time off to care for their young children, according to a Statistics Canada study released yesterday.

The number of dads taking parental leave jumped in 2006, led by fathers in Quebec, who are entitled to five weeks' paternity leave and better paid benefits. The study found that more than half of eligible Quebec dads took time off in 2006 after the province introduced its own parental leave program, compared to 32 per cent in 2005.

Elsewhere in Canada, one in 10 dads took parental leave. That's up sharply from only 3 per cent eight years ago, though it has barely increased since 2001, when federal parental leave was boosted to 35 weeks that could be shared between parents. However, the study found other evidence of more hands-on fathering, including longer leaves, which averaged 17 weeks in 2006 versus 11 weeks in 2005. As well, 55 per cent of dads reported taking unpaid leave or vacation after the birth of a child.

An earlier StatsCan study found the number of days fathers of preschoolers miss work for personal or family reasons jumped to 6.3 days in 2007 from 1.8 days a decade earlier.

While the trend is largely a result of social policies, it also reflects "a cultural shift that embraces fatherhood and men's involvement with their children," according to author Katherine Marshall.

Donna Lero of the University of Guelph notes that fathers take leave at much higher rates when it is designated as paternity leave that cannot be shared with partners, which is the case in Quebec and European countries. And dads took it more often when mothers either chose not to or weren't eligible, says Lero, the Jarislowsky chair in families and work at the university's Centre for Families, Work and Well-being.

She says that while social policies can help increase fathers' involvement, that will continue only with support – both financial and in attitude – from employers.

"If the option is to take a leave at the cost of a big financial hit and lack of support in the workplace, then we shouldn't be surprised" if fathers reject the plan, she says.

Eric Paananen of Etobicoke, who recently ended a 3 1/2-month parental leave caring for son Ethan, says it helped that his wife was willing to return to work and share parental leave and his employer, the Canadian Cancer Society, was supportive.

Paananen, 31, says caring for Ethan, who just turned 1, was both exhausting and rewarding. They went to playgrounds, drop-ins and swimming, and Paananen experienced a lot of "those little moments" that come from quality time.

"To be able to know I can do this is great. I do feel that by being involved now I want to be more involved. It was a good base to build on."

It's what parent educator Brian Russell calls the start of "a powerful cycle." Parental leave gives dads the opportunity to gain skill and confidence looking after an infant, he says, "and the earlier you practise that, the more competent you feel and the more involved you continue to get."

Russell, parent educator at LAMP Early Years Centre in Etobicoke, stayed home with his eldest daughter 11 years ago. He runs dads groups on Saturdays and Tuesday evenings that draw up to 30 fathers. There were rarely dads in his daytime groups five years ago; these days there are always two or three.

Father involvement has also prompted one online mothering network to expand into daddy terrain. WeeWelcome.ca is relaunching its website so fathers will be able to link to other dads and fathers groups, says founder Maureen Dennis of Toronto.