Parental Leave Project

Researchers:

  • Donna Lero (Professor Emerita, University of Guelph), Andrea Doucet (Brock University), Diane Gabrielle Tremblay, (UQAM)

Description of Project:

The International Network on Leave Policies and Research was initiated in the 1990s by Peter Moss (Thomas Coram Research Unit, University College London) and Fred Deven (Flanders, Belgium).  Since then, it has grown to become the foremost international network for scholars to share knowledge and collaborate on a variety of related research projects.  Donna Lero was invited to join the Network in 2009 and has continued to be involved as part of the Canadian team.   

The Network, which now has representatives from 43 countries across the globe, holds an annual Seminar and has been producing an annual international review of leave policies and related research since 2005. The Review is an incredible resource for researchers and policy makers and covers Maternity, Paternity and Parental leaves; leave to care for sick children and other employment-related measures to support working parents; and early childhood education and care policy.

In 2018, we were fortunate to host the 15th Annual Seminar in Toronto, which was attended by Network members and invited guests from the World Bank, the ILO, New America (Better Life Lab and Slate magazine), and the Canadian federal and Québec provincial governments.