Understanding the Relationship Between Canadian Men’s Perceptions of Deciding to Take Paternal Leave and the Associated Long-Term Financial Outcomes

Traditionally, women have represented the majority of parents that have utilized paid family leave. Even though there are opportunities available for fathers to participate in paternity leave, there has been a significant underutilization compared to mothers in most of the recent past. In 2006, the province of Quebec experienced a spike in fathers utilizing paternity leave with over 50% of fathers taking time off from work under a newly established paternity leave policy (Gordon, 2008). During this time, other areas of Canada had a rate of 10% of fathers taking leave.