The stay-at-home dad: federal policy changes but societal norms have yet to shift

Parents are still feeling the gendered stigma attached to parental leave but hope the new federal program aimed at getting men to take time off will help normalize the role of stay-at-home dads.

The Parental Sharing Benefit introduced in Wednesday's budget offers an extra five weeks of leave for fathers or non-birth parents, including adoptive and same-sex partners and is expected to come into effect in June 2019.

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The policy addresses the large issue of gender equity in the workplace, but Kyle Mallinson, a Vancouver father of two, says it'll take a while before societal norms shift.

"Often people will say that they're delighted and impressed, and it's so amazing, and my wife is so lucky to have me. It's very flattering, but I should not be treated as special," Mallinson told On The Coast's Gloria Macarenko.

"It shouldn't be ... praiseworthy that I want to spend time with my kid and support my wife, it should be the baseline. I'm a member of a family.I have a duty of care."

Household roles

Mallinson said thepolicy is more than just an incentive for dads.It's a commitment from the government expressing thathaving women in the workforce has value and acknowledges that roles in families are changing.

However, the conversation within families about who takes time off can be a difficult one, said Chantelle Krish, the director of advocacy for the Metro Vancouver YWCA.

It usually comes down to which person is the higher income earner,often the male in the relationship, but she thinks making that decision based on earnings contributes to the larger systemic issue of the gender wage gap.

"When dads take time off, women are able to achieve greater career gains," she said, adding thatit also levels the playing field for women and men in the domestic sphere.

Having men stay home encourages them to take on more of those domestic responsibilities related to child rearing, like household duties that have traditionally been the women's role, said Krish.

She thinks the change of rolescan help women build more confidence in their partner's ability to care for their children.

That lack of confidenceis somethingMallinson sees represented in media a lot.

"There's depictions of men trying to be good parents and failing utterly I'm glad to disrupt that stigma," he said.

'Nudge' to normalize

Tina Strehlke, the CEO of the Minerva Foundation for B.C. Women, describes the policy as a "nudge" for parents aimed atnormalizingthe societal change that it's not just women who take leave.

"It can help to normalize and neutralize for women that they are not seen as the worker who is going to leave, take time out or suffer those consequences of being out of the labour market for a long period of time."

It's a shift that Krish thinks will have a great impact on women's economic security, pay equityand equality in the workplace.

"Showing a commitment at the federal level will incentivize more men to take the leave, and it'll enable employers to look at men and women more equally in terms of their contributions overall to the workplace," Krish said.

"It's really a long-term view at how the government can create policies that do support women's economic security by really starting in the home."

To hear the full interviews listen to media below:

With files from On The Coast, The Early Edition