abstract: 'Objective: This article examines how two recent policy extensions

  affected the use and sharing of parental benefits in Canada and how this

  differed by family income. Background: Paid parental benefits positively

  affect economic and health outcomes. However, not all policy changes

  increase leave-taking, especially among low-income families. Method:

  Drawing on administrative data from 1998 to 2012, we estimate linear

  probability models to examine the likelihood of either parent using

  parental benefits and multinomial logit models to examine patterns in

  sharing benefits. We stratify models by household income to examine how

  the two policy changes affected families differently across the income

  spectrum. Results: Both policies increased use more among low-income

  families than those with higher incomes, which is likely due to widening

  eligibility criteria that affected low-income families

  disproportionately. Second, policy design induced different patterns of

  sharing benefits in response to the two policy changes. In contrast to

  the 2001 policy that only moderately increased sharing of parental

  benefits, Quebec''s 2006 program explicitly promoted gender equality and

  increased sharing of benefits across all income groups, but three times

  as much for middle- and high-income families than low-income families.

  Conclusion: We conclude that policy design shapes socioeconomic

  inequality in newborns'' early life parental context.'
affiliation: 'Margolis, R (Corresponding Author), Univ Western Ontario, Dept Sociol,
  Social Sci Ctr 5326, London, ON N6A 5C2, Canada.

  Margolis, Rachel; Hou, Feng; Haan, Michael; Holm, Anders, Univ Western Ontario,
  Dept Sociol, Social Sci Ctr 5326, London, ON N6A 5C2, Canada.'
author: Margolis, Rachel and Hou, Feng and Haan, Michael and Holm, Anders
author-email: rachel.margolis@uwo.ca
author_list:
- family: Margolis
  given: Rachel
- family: Hou
  given: Feng
- family: Haan
  given: Michael
- family: Holm
  given: Anders
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1111/jomf.12542
eissn: 1741-3737
files: []
issn: 0022-2445
journal: JOURNAL OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY
keywords: Canada; family; parental leave; policy; work-family issues
keywords-plus: 'MATERNITY LEAVE; FATHERS USE; CHILD-CARE; EMPLOYMENT; MOTHERS; IMPACT;

  HEALTH; PERSPECTIVES; PROBIT; LOGIT'
language: English
month: APR
number: '2'
number-of-cited-references: '62'
orcid-numbers: Margolis, Rachel/0000-0002-3331-591X
pages: 450-467
papis_id: 3ad5d02aaae9cfa09ac2507496ea9e61
ref: Margolis2019useparental
researcherid-numbers: 'Holm, Anders/JBS-7378-2023

  '
times-cited: '14'
title: 'Use of Parental Benefits by Family Income in Canada: Two Policy Changes'
type: Article
unique-id: WOS:000460644200010
usage-count-last-180-days: '1'
usage-count-since-2013: '7'
volume: '81'
web-of-science-categories: Family Studies; Sociology
year: '2019'