Maternity and Parental Leave Statistics in Canada

In Canada, both mothers and fathers are entitled to parental leave. Canada’s maternity and parental leave policies reflect the country’s commitment to supporting families during this critical period in a child’s life. Parental leave is available to both biological and adoptive parents.

As society changes, maternity and parental leave policies need to reflect these changes to ensure they are addressing the needs of working parents and promoting gender equality at work.

In this article, we have collated important statistics on parental leave in Canada to give you a comprehensive overview of maternity and parental leave in Canada.

Maternity and Parental Leave Statistics for Canadians

• Biological and surrogate mothers are entitled to 15 weeks of maternity leave in Canada.
• Since 2017, Canadian parents have been able to take up to 61 weeks of parental leave at a reduced rate.
• All new fathers in Canada are entitled to five weeks of “daddy days.”
• In 2022, 77% of mothers with children up to three years old were participating in the workforce.
• Most Canadian fathers, except in Quebec, are not taking advantage of the five weeks of paternity leave available.
• Over 90% of new parents received EI benefits in Canada in 2021.
• In 2022, less than a quarter of self-employed mothers took maternity or parental leave.
• Nova Scotia had the highest proportion of employed women on parental leave, while Quebec had the highest proportion of employed men on parental leave in 2022.
• Indigenous mothers are less likely than the national average to take maternity or parental leave.

Canada’s Labour Laws Guarantee the Right for Time off Work for Parents

In Canada, the provincial and federal labour laws guarantee all employees the right to take time off from employment to care for a child after birth or adoption. Since 1971, the Employment Insurance (EI) programme has guaranteed mothers up to 15 weeks of benefits.

The parental leave benefit was introduced in 1990, which provided ten weeks of additional leave that could be shared between the parents. The parental benefits were further extended in 2000 to 35 weeks and in 2017, parents in Canada became eligible to receive extended benefits for up to 61 weeks at a reduced rate. The changes made in 2017 also introduced more flexibility for pregnant workers when selecting the start date of their maternity leave.

Employment Insurance Benefits for Parents in Canada

In Canada, biological mothers, as well as surrogate mothers, are entitled to 15 weeks of EI maternity benefits. These benefits can start 12 weeks before the due date at the earliest and end 17 weeks after the date of birth. In Quebec, which has its own programme, the maternity leave is up to 18 weeks.

Parental benefits are available to all parents caring for a newborn or a recently adopted child. Parents can choose between standard or extended parental benefits. Standard parental benefit is available for 35 weeks maximum and needs to be claimed within 12 months after the child was born or adopted. The benefit is 55% of the claimant’s average insurable weekly wage. The 35 weeks can be shared between the two parents.

Extended parental benefit is available for 61 weeks maximum and needs to be claimed within 18 months after the birth or adoption. The benefit is 33% of the claimant’s average insurable weekly wage and can also be shared between the two parents.

Who Is Eligible for EI Maternity or Parental Benefits?

There are certain criteria employees must meet to claim maternity and parental benefits. The criteria include being employed in insurable employment, having accumulated at least 600 hours of employment during a qualifying period, and having paid EI premiums.

The EI premiums are deducted by the employer. In 2022, the premium was $1.58 for every $100 earned. The maximum in 2022 was $952.74 for the year.

The province of Quebec has a different programme offering maternity, paternity, and parental benefits. Because of this, the premium is different in Quebec and in 2022 it was $1.20 for every $100 earned. The maximum per year was $723.60.

For more information about who is eligible and how to claim maternity or parental benefits in Canada, visit the Government of Canada website. 

What Is the Difference Between Maternity and Parental Benefits?

Maternity benefits are paid only to biological mothers. Expecting mothers need to sign a statement declaring the estimated due date or the actual birthdate of the child to claim the benefit.

Parental benefits are paid to biological, adoptive, and legally recognised parents who cannot work when caring for a newborn or newly adopted child. To claim parental benefits, you will need to sign a statement declaring either the date of birth or the date of adoption.

Paternity Leave in Canada

All fathers are eligible for paternity leave in Canada as long as they meet the criteria set by the Government of Canada. The criteria include having at least 600 hours of employment towards EI within the year before paternity leave.

The parental leave in Canada is five weeks, which is additional to the 35 weeks of shared parental leave. This means parents can take 40 parental weeks if opting for the standard parental leave option. If parents choose the extended parental benefit option, they will get a maximum of 61 shared weeks and eight weeks of paternity benefits.

Almost 80% of Mothers of Young Children Participate in the Labour Force

Over the last fifty years, the number of mothers with young children participating in the labour force has increased considerably. For example, in 1976 only 33.5% of mothers with a child three years old or younger were part of the labour force compared to 77.1% in 2022.

This increase reflects the introduction of new, more family-friendly employment policies, including policies on maternity and paternity leaves and childcare that have made it easier for mothers to remain employed.

Over 90% of New Parents Received EI Benefits in 2021

In 2021, 92.1% of new parents who had insurable employment and a child aged 18 months or younger received maternity or parental benefits. In Quebec, the proportion of parents receiving benefits was 99.8%. If we exclude Quebec, 89.3% of new parents were receiving maternity or parental benefits across the rest of the country.

Among partners or spouses, 42.2% had already claimed or had plans to claim parental benefits. However, the proportion of partners or spouses who actually received benefits (excluding Quebec) was 29.9%. In Quebec, 76.6% of spouses or partners claimed parental benefits.

In addition to the EI benefits set by the Government of Canada, some parents received additional benefits through their employer. In 2022, 55.7% of employed women reported they had access to maternity or parental benefits provided by their employer. Among men, the proportion that reported additional parental benefits was 51.8%.

Fewer Fathers Take Parental Leave Than Mothers

Data on fathers taking parental leave has only been available since 2007. The average proportion of working fathers with a child under one on parental leave in any given month remained below 9% for several years. Although more fathers in Canada are now taking parental leave, 24% across the country, many are still not taking this option. The exception is Quebec where 93% of fathers utilize paternity or parental benefits or a combination of the two.

However, data collected between 2012 and 2017 shows that seven in ten fathers in Canada took some type of leave after the birth or adoption of a child during that time. Over the same period, nine in ten mothers in Canada took leave after birth or adoption.

Fathers are often more likely to take paid or unpaid leave following the birth or adoption of a child than paternity or parental leave. 42% of Canadian fathers used some of their annual vacation leave to stay at home following the birth or adoption of their child.

Self-Employed Women Take Less Maternity Leave

In 1997, only 7.2% of self-employed women in Canada with a child under one were on maternity or parental leave. This is a significantly lower proportion than for those who were in employment in 1997 at 46.4%.

The number of self-employed women taking leave after birth or adoption has increased since then. However, in 2022, the proportion of self-employed women on maternity or parental leave was still only 22%. Since 2011, self-employed parents have been able to opt into the EI programme to receive maternity and parental benefits. Despite this, the number of self-employed mothers taking leave after birth or adoption remains considerably lower than among employed mothers.

Provincial Differences

The share of working mothers with a child under one on maternity leave varies from one province to the next. In 2022, Nova Scotia and Manitoba had higher than average proportions of employed mothers on maternity leave at 78.4% and 78.2%, respectively. The lowest proportion was in British Columbia at 68.6%.

Among working fathers, Quebec has historically had higher than average figures and this applied in 2022, too. The proportion of working fathers on paternity leave was 11.7% in 2022, compared to 7.3% nationally.

Maternity and Parental Leave Among Indigenous People

In 2022, 60.3% of employed First Nations Mothers with a child younger than one and living off-reserve in the provinces were on maternity or parental leave. In the same year, 61.1% of Métis mothers who were in employment were on parental or maternity leave. Both proportions are lower than the Canadian average.

Maternity and Parental Leave Among Canadian Immigrants

The proportion of immigrant parents taking leave to care for a child after birth or adoption is lower than the overall proportion for Canada. In 2022, 69% of working immigrant mothers of a child up to one year old were on parental leave. Among employed immigrant fathers, the percentage of fathers on paternity leave was 6.4%.

Maternity Leave Among Racialised Groups in Canada

Among racialised groups, employed Black mothers were the most likely to be on maternity or parental leave at 77.4% in 2022. Next were Chinese mothers at 73.1% and South Asian mothers at 73%. The least likely group to be on maternity leave was Arab mothers at 48.4%. This suggests that Arab mothers are more likely to leave the labour force or remain outside of it, rather than choosing to take maternity leave.

Conclusion

Maternity, paternity, and parental benefits are important elements of a healthy, inclusive, and equal society. In Canada, mothers, including surrogate mothers, can take up to 15 weeks of maternity leave, while all fathers are entitled to five weeks of paternity leave. Canadian parents can also take parental leave up to 61 weeks.

While parental leave can be shared between both parents, in Canada it is still mostly taken by mothers. Many fathers are not using the five weeks of paternity leave they are entitled to either. Quebec, which has its own programme for maternity, paternity, and parental benefits, is the only exception with over 3/4 of fathers using parental or paternity benefits.

Anyone looking to claim EI benefits needs to meet certain criteria. This criteria together with how to apply is available from the Government of Canada website and provincial authority websites.