A cultural shift is underway, allowing dads a leave of absence after the birth of a child

by David Swick

Alex Smith is a busy professional. He enjoys the challenge and stimulation of work, thoroughly understands dozens of files, and makes careful decisions. He is also happy that he left it all behind for six months to take a leave of absence when daughter Nellie-Rose was born.

"You can always make money, but you can never create time," says Smith, the director of communications for the federal Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) in Halifax. Bonding with his little girl in the first few months of her life, he says, not only made him a better father but also made him a better employee.

"When we have stronger, deeper connections with our children, it pays off for our children, our partners, and ourselves," says Smith. "Some pressure is taken off women, and this is significant. Plus you get distance and perspective, refresh and replenish yourself."

Taking a leave of absence to be at home with a newborn was until recently mostly for moms. Not any more-a cultural shift is underway. Only 3% of Canadian fathers took time off and received paid parental leave in 2000; by 2006 it jumped to 20%.

This shift is occurring throughout the Western world, as traditional gender roles make way for a more even distribution of responsibilities and rewards. Few fathers 40 years ago were present at their child's birth or even changed a diaper. Some never hugged their children. These are now acknowledged pleasures (well, except for the diaper). And this led fathers to ask why they were not allowed to take a leave following a birth.

In response, changes were made to federal and provincial law. In 2001 the federal government increased shareable paid parental leave benefits from 10 to 35 weeks. And the government of Quebec went even further, in 2006 introducing its own parental insurance plan, which includes a five-week, non-transferable leave for fathers. As a result, 56% of eligible Quebec fathers took a paid leave; outside Quebec it was just 11%.

During his time at home Alex Smith kept a blog of his adventure, 180 Days of Magic. Daily he exulted in Nellie-Rose and his involvement in her life. "Now there is her newfound love affair with books," Smith wrote at one point. "She's got lots of titles to choose from-upside down or downside up doesn't seem to make much difference. It's the turning of pages, the narrating out loud, and the dramatic exclamations that seem to be the thing. Her talking is constantly developing, though I am hard-pressed to replicate any of her multi-syllabic tongue twisters. It is a language unto herself, and her fluency is uncontested."

The best employees are happy employees, and what makes employees happy is changing. Smart companies are keeping abreast of what men want now. The 2009 survey of Canada's Top 100 employers, conducted by Mediacorp Canada, reveals that the 20 companies rated the most family friendly all offer a significant top-up to parental leave benefits available to the mother or father. Most top up to a full 52 weeks. When the survey began in 2002, many employers didn't offer top-ups to mothers let alone fathers.

Is this change coming to Atlantic Canada? Yes, but slowly. Leading the way, and earning a place in the national top 20, is Jacques Whitford Ltd. (now Stantec Consulting Ltd.), an environmental consulting firm based in Dartmouth. It offers parental leave benefits to 75% of salary for 52 weeks for new mothers and 35 weeks for new fathers (the first 17 weeks are maternity leave and available only to mothers).

Smith urges any prospective dad who is considering taking a leave to be at home with a newborn to do it. "This could be a fear: What's going on at work when I'm not there? Well, turn it around. What's going to happen with the child at home when you are at home all those months, without pressure from the workplace?"

Smith isn't sure if his chance for career advancement will suffer because of his leave-or because he plans another one, with a third child on the way. He does know that, these days, he has plenty of company. "More and more men are doing it. If there had been a different policy, our dads might have done it too. I'm a better person to work with since my leave. It gets you to realize there are other priorities beyond the day-to-day business world. These are being human and caring, and recognizing the values of other people."

David Swick teaches journalism ethics at the University of King's College in Halifax. He can be reached at swick@eastlink.ca.