Individual, family, and employer: Factors associated with fathers' use of parental leave

Abstract

AbstractObjectiveThis study aims to examine factors associated with fathers' use of parental leave in Canada, considering a rich set of individual, family, and employer characteristics.BackgroundThe province of Quebec and the rest of Canada have two different parental benefits programs and show different patterns in fathers' parental benefit use. Also, the role of employers in fathers' benefit use has gained little attention in the Canadian context.MethodUsing Canadian administrative data, logistic regression models were estimated separately for the two regions to examine characteristics associated with the likelihood of using parental benefits among fathers whose first child was born in 2016.ResultsThe percentage of male coworkers who used parental benefits, employer's industry, fathers' earnings, and whether the mother received parental benefits were important factors for fathers' parental benefit use in both Quebec and the rest of Canada. Some of these associations were opposite in the two regions.ConclusionNot only individual and family characteristics but also employer characteristics are important for understanding fathers' parental benefit use, and these associations depend on the design of a parental benefit program.ImplicationsFindings can be used to improve a parental benefit program to target fathers with low uptake or their employers.