Gender, social reproduction and the Canadian Welfare State: Assessing the recent changes to the maternity and parental leave benefits regime
Abstract (summary)
On December 31, 2000 the federal government extended the length of the period for which benefits during maternity and parental leave would be paid in Canada. This thesis examines the federal government's decision and asserts that the move to lengthen the benefit period has had a contradictory effect on women attempting to balance the competing rhythms and demands of negotiating their productive and reproductive lives. By extending the length of the benefit period the government appeared to be offering an equality-enhancing change. However, by continuing to deliver the benefit under the provisions of the Employment Insurance Act, an Act with onerous eligibility requirements, the availability of these benefits is for many Canadians, and women in particular, an illusion. This thesis addresses the issue of the gendered implication of the recent changes and poses two questions: how it is that the regime has come to be attached to unemployment insurance; and why, given the current macro-economic context, is the benefit period being extended now. A theoretical model that examines the contradiction between production and social reproduction in a capitalist economy is employed to demonstrate how the extension of benefits is part of a response to a crisis in social reproduction caused by competing demands on women's labour.
Indexing (details)
Welfare
0630: Public policy