StatCan: job quality shapes when mothers return to work after parental leave
A new Statistics Canada study released July 22 revisits when and whether mothers return to work after parental leave, with particular attention to Employment Insurance changes and the introduction of the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care system. Return rates were nearly identical across benefit types — 83% of mothers on EI standard benefits and 82% on extended benefits returned or planned to return — but only 65% of mothers who received no parental benefits did. Job quality mattered: mothers in permanent positions, with collective agreement coverage and higher hourly wages, were more likely to return, and 20% of those on extended benefits relied on the child’s other parent for care compared with 13% on standard benefits. For our sector, it is a useful reminder that a family’s child care decisions are shaped as much by their working conditions as by the fees they pay.
