This text is part of the special Research section
Her study on the link between maternity leave and child separation anxiety was crowned discovery of the year 2023 by the magazine Quebec Science. Gabrielle Garon-Carrier reveals to us the underside of her work and the values that underpin her commitment to research.
The celebration of her research by Québec Science made her very happy, confides Gabrielle Garon-Carrier, professor at the Faculty of Education at the University of Sherbrooke and specialist in psychoeducation. If the researcher is delighted, however, it is less for herself than for her scientific community. “This award focuses a lot on basic research or medicine, but the social sciences touch such an important part of our daily lives. »
Last March, his team’s study, which highlights the link between the length of maternity leave and separation anxiety in toddlers, received public preference among ten discoveries selected by the magazine’s jury . A great recognition which highlights the interest of Quebecers in the subject. “So many people have written to me to tell me what they have experienced. When a child begins to attend daycare at four months, it is not always by choice and by happiness, there are realities that oblige parents. »
Risk of economic precariousness
In Quebec, the basic parental insurance plan grants 32 weeks of shareable leave, the first 7 of which are covered at 70% of income and the following 25 at 55%. A reality which can place certain families in a financially precarious situation and encourage women to return to the job market before having completed their entire maternity leave.
However, the study conducted by Gabrielle Garon-Carrier reveals that children whose mothers remain on leave for more than five months show a lower level of separation anxiety during early childhood than those whose mothers return to work in the first months of birth. This benefit is revealed even when the leave puts the family under financial strain. “In the cases of mothers who were on leave for more than five months, the gap in separation anxiety was not very large between the children of those with sufficient income and those of mothers in a financially precarious situation. . »
Note that the conclusions of the study, conducted on data from 1,295 Quebec families, do not take into account the chronicity of families’ financial difficulties. The research focuses on temporary financial insecurity, linked to taking leave. “If parents can absorb this financial shock to benefit as long as possible from the child’s first months of life, this is ideal for their level of separation anxiety. »
Improving public policies
In Canada, Quebec is a generous province when it comes to parental leave, particularly because it is the only one to offer leave specifically dedicated to fathers or co-parents. Salary coverage, which decreases over time, is however not ideal, believes Gabrielle Garon-Carrier. “Perhaps the families most at risk of finding themselves in a situation of financial precarity deserve full 100% coverage of their salary. » The researcher also emphasizes that the establishment of childcare services in the province was originally intended to allow women to return to the job market. In this regard, she believes that the results of her research offer an argument for the adjustment of family policies.
The quest for collective well-being is one of Gabrielle Garon-Carrier’s driving forces. From her studies in developmental psychology to university teaching via a government researcher position, she says she focuses her work on improving the lives of Quebecers.
But it was through her reading and her life experiences — she is the mother of a 14-month-old little girl — that the desire was born to study the effect of certain public policies on families with young people. children. “Early childhood interventions are pivotal because they give all children a healthy start in life. Equity begins there, it is from this perspective that I carried out my work. »
More and more precise results
And the researcher does not intend to stop there. Newly obtained funding will allow him to continue and deepen his research. “In this first article, which was a clearing, I focused on separation anxiety. But nothing excludes interest [aux effets du congé parental] on the child’s cognitive and language development and behavior. »
This spring, survey data collected from 4,000 families will make it possible to refine the results of the first study, notably by including information on whether co-parents take leave, the type of employment and household income. Ultimately, it will be a question of specifying the effects of parental insurance program programs based on the characteristics of families.
Faced with the possibilities open to her, Gabrielle Garon-Carrier considers herself lucky to benefit from the support of her research community. But also the commitment of families who take part in the game of questionnaires and meetings. “It is thanks to this that we are able to understand certain phenomena and possibly improve their quality of life. »
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