The idea of being a stay-at-home dad is five times more popular in Quebec than in the rest of Canada, due in large part to generous parental leave programs available only in that province, a Statistics Canada report released Monday has found.
In 2001, the federal government changed its parental leave program for new parents, increasing the length of government-paid benefits to 35 weeks from 10 weeks and eliminating a second two-week unpaid waiting period for parents sharing the responsibility of staying home with children.
Five years later, Quebec introduced its own parental insurance program as a substitute for the federal program. It offered higher benefits rates and coverage for self-employed workers, eliminated unpaid waiting periods before benefits are paid out, and introduced a five-week leave solely for fathers.
As a result, Statistics Canada saw the number of Quebec men claiming parental benefits nearly double in just one year, jumping to 56 per cent in 2006 from 32 per cent in 2005.
For fathers outside Quebec, participation in the federal program remained constant over three years, at just 11 per cent
Monday, June 23, 2008
Comment dit-on "stay-at-home dad" en français ?
I think this is real interesting:
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2 comments:
I'm Mommy and this article got me very interested. My hubby and I now stays at home. We work there and we swap in taking care of our baby (Whoever is free for that time of course). I love how things have changed so much and how more and more Daddies choose to stay at home too. Because, as a parent. I made the best choice of all. Staying at home. :)
Well, I would guess "homme au foyer" (thank you Google language tool!) although I don't think that quite captures it -- sort of the equivalent of "house husband" in English, and who likes that? But now that I think about it, "homme au foyer" sounds a lot better than stay-at-home-dad -- I mean, what's the alternative, being a dad outside in the grass? (Oh yes, the workplace, ok ok...)
There's the Spanish "ama de casa", which I love for its poetry in spite of all its retrograde connotations (and I love the idea of "amas de casa desesperadas"), suggesting that the person minding the kids at home is not just laboring and parenting, but producing a sort of household culture that is anchored in the caregiver. Maybe that's not so bad, either; sort of like the smell of pipe tobacco in my dad's home office.
Anyway, go Quebec!
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