Two little syllables, a worn-out word
And here you are reinvented
You suddenly feel like a king
Because a little bitch calls you daddy
— Dadby Yvon Deschamps and Judy Richards
In North America, in terms of fatherhood, the model to follow is that of the Quebec father. Our leadership is indisputable, we are the champions of dads.
As Father’s Day dawns, it’s good to celebrate a little.
In 2021, the firm Léger conducted a Canada-wide survey on the perception that fathers have of their role, a survey whose results are impressive. We clearly see the break with the traditional conception of the role of fathers and the emergence of a new model1.
The most impactful question in the survey is the first. Leger asked fathers to prioritize what being a father meant to them. They were given five definitions, they could give two answers among the following: protector, model, giver of care and affection, educator and provider.
The most popular choice of Quebec fathers was “role model” (48%), that of Canadian fathers was “provider” (43%).
The least popular choice among Quebec fathers was “provider” (12%), the least popular among Canadian fathers was “educator” (16%). Another interesting fact is that significantly more Quebec fathers find it very important to be present at the birth, to accompany the child in his learning and to show him affection. Finally, Quebecers feel more valued in their role as fathers than other Canadians.
Fathers, as part of a couple, also change. They believe significantly more than other Canadians in the importance of teamwork in the couple, they claim to share parental tasks more equitably, they are more demanding than others of government measures to reconcile family and work and more frequently want custody shared by their children.
In addition to this survey, several other data illustrate the performance of Quebec dads.
For example, they are the undisputed champions of paternity leave. If we only take leave taken under the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan and its equivalents in English Canada, in 2020, 70% of Quebec fathers compared to 20% of Canadian fathers took leave when a child was born. If we take into account all forms of paternity leave (employer program, unpaid leave, etc.), according to Statistics Canada, the figure rises to 93% of Quebec fathers and 24% of Canadian fathers.
Quebec taxation considerably lightens the financial burden on families, so it also gives fathers (and mothers) the means to reinvent themselves. In fact, in this field, we leave the whole continent far behind, the few rare countries which can compete with us are in Europe.
If Quebec were a country, its rate of common-law unions (43%) would place it far ahead of Sweden, the country with the highest proportion of common-law unions in the world (33%) – the rate of Canada without Quebec is 17%. This is another sign that the old model no longer dominates, marriages and free unions are now equally valid choices, we are gaining freedom.
These advances did not happen by themselves. The feminist movement in Quebec has won victories like nowhere else in the Americas, victories that have had a considerable impact on fathers. Women’s access to employment (their employment rate is among the highest in the world), access to contraception, pay equity, automatic collection of child support, early childhood centers, etc., are all advances that have redefined the framework of the family, given everyone space for freedom, and led fathers to redefine themselves.
Fathers have also encouraged these changes. They took over the public square to promote their role as fathers. They claimed custody of their children.
They studied and tried to explain men. They showed new models. They have powerfully contributed to changing mentalities and building the fathers of today. We owe them a lot, too.
One last thing. Data on fathers, even in Quebec, are rare. For example, we know little about the role of fathers in the family’s interactions with the health and social services network, with schools, with day care centres. To continue to provide leadership that does us credit, we must better document the challenges that remain to be met.
In the meantime, Happy Father’s Day!