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Extended Paternal Leave Still Falls Short

The provincial government's recent announcement to extend paternal leave to up to a year is unlikely to encourage more fathers and lower income mothers to stay home with newborns, says sociologist Dr. Cecilia Benoit. "The extension is a good thing but the problem is that the plan still only provides parents with 55 per cent of their salary. Because men are often the higher wage-earners, they're unlikely to take advantage of the leave and lower income mothers won't be able to afford to be off work that long," says Benoit. She would like Canada to follow the lead of other countries that offer incentives for fathers to take parental leaves and pay new parents up to 80 per cent of their salaries to stay home with their babies. Benoit compares parental benefits and other social benefits affecting families in Canada, the United States and Sweden in her recent book Women, Work and Social Rights. Media Contacts:
Dr. Cecilia Benoit (sociology) at (250) 721-7578 or by email at cbenoit@uvic.ca

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