Work/family/life balance

“IF YOU WANT SOMETHING SAID, ASK A MAN; IF YOU WANT SOMETHING DONE, ASK A WOMAN.”

– Margaret Thatcher

VISION AND COMMITMENTS BY 2025

  • COLLABORATE WITH VARIOUS ORGANIZATIONS TO ENSURE FARMING FAMILIES MAKE DECISIONS TO FACILITATE ACCESS TO GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS

  • INCREASE AWARENESS AND HIGHLIGHT THE IMPACTS OF MENTAL WORKLOAD ON WOMEN FARMERS

  • WORK WITH THE GOVERNMENT TO FACILITATE ACCESS TO THE "POUR UNE MATERNITÉ SANS DANGER" (SAFE MATERNITY) PROGRAM FOR WOMEN FARMERS

  • PARTICIPATE IN JOINT EVENTS ON THE ISSUE OF WORK/FAMILY BALANCE WITH OTHER FEMINIST ORGANIZATIONS

  • COLLABORATE WITH RESEARCH CENTRES AND GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS FOR BETTER ACCESS TO GENDER-RELATED DATA

WHY WE’RE WORKING ON THESE ISSUES

The topic of work/family/life balance is vast, and ranks second among our members’ priorities, just behind entrepreneurship.

Even if the sharing of household chores and childcare appears more balanced among younger generations, women continue to spend more time on household chores.

  • Over one quarter (28%) of men spend 10 hours or more on household chores
  • and 37% spend the same amount of time on childcare.
  • For women, these figures are 63% and 61%, respectively.

Mental workload—meaning thinking about everything, all the time—remains the purview of women, and it comes as no surprise that families with children struggle more with work/family balance.

Intergenerational proximity is also identified as a source of both support and tension for women, who must balance intrafamily conflicts against childcare support.

As for maternity, paternity and parental leave:

  • 74% of women farmers were able to access maternity leave.
  • A little over half of these women (53%) enjoyed at least 31 weeks of benefits from the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP) during their last pregnancy.
  • As for men, most of them (73%) received benefits for 10 weeks or less.
  • Among those who did not receive benefits, 45% were not eligible.

BY THE NUMBERS

WOMEN AND MEN WHO REPORT SATISFACTORY WORK/FAMILY BALANCE
0%
WOMEN WHO REPORT THAT THEIR WORK/FAMILY BALANCE LEAVES ENOUGH TIME FOR THEIR BUSINESS
0%
MEN WHO REPORT THAT THEIR WORK/FAMILY BALANCE LEAVES ENOUGH TIME FOR THEIR BUSINESS
0%
WOMEN WHO BELIEVE THAT THEIR WORK IS DANGEROUS DURING PREGNANCY
0%
WOMEN WHO TOOK PREVENTIVE LEAVE DURING THEIR LAST PREGNANCY
0%
WOMEN WHO USED THE QUEBEC PARENTAL INSURANCE PLAN DURING THEIR LAST PREGNANCY
0%

ACHIEVEMENTS