Father 2.0 in Québec: Fathers’ legitimacy in using parental leave weeks
If the three to five weeks’ paternity leave in Quebec is widely used and accepted, the duration of parental leave is a delicate issue in the couple. The five weeks of paternity leave seem to have become a new norm in Quebec, but the father who wants to share the parental leave “takes” weeks from the mother, still perceived as the legitimate provider. The arrival of a child is a moment of crystallization that sets responsibilities in the new family. Through the results of a qualitative survey of Quebec fathers working in the field of information technology, an extended leave for the father increases his confidence in the care of the baby and its involvement thereafter. But the fact that fathers are much less likely to extend their parental leave may explain the unequal division of household tasks that persists in Quebec.