Co-parenting: Quebec parents recognize its importance, but challenges persist

Co-parenting: Quebec parents recognize its importance, but challenges persist

The vast majority of Quebec parents recognize the importance of co-parenting, but its implementation remains a daily challenge, according to a large-scale survey conducted by SOM among 2,817 parents living with at least one minor child.

The results show that 95% of respondents believe it is important for co-parents to work together to care for their children. Furthermore, 93% believe that this collaboration promotes both child development and a better sharing of the mental load.

Teamwork, shared responsibilities, and family harmony are among the themes most often associated with co-parenting. Raymond Villeneuve, Executive Director of the Regroupement pour la valorisation de la Paternité (Group for the Promotion of Fatherhood), states that parents want concrete measures to improve their teamwork in raising their children:

“According to the survey results, what we understand is that young parents really want to co-parent together. Ideally, they want to share the mental load. Evidently, there are still challenges, but the desire to co-parent equally is very present in young parents.”

Despite this consensus, several challenges remain. While over 80% of respondents say they trust their co-parent or manage to reach an agreement when disagreements arise, only 68% report receiving help when they feel overwhelmed.

Sharing household chores also remains the main point of contention. While over 80% of parents find it relatively easy to communicate about their children or share responsibilities related to their upbringing, only 72% consider sharing household tasks easy.

The survey also reveals that periods of marital separation represent the most difficult times for co-parenting. Nearly three-quarters of respondents indicate having experienced significant challenges in collaborating with their co-parent in this context.

Furthermore, over half of parents state that their parental responsibilities constitute a moderate or significant source of stress in their daily lives.

Another striking finding concerns the mental load. Nearly three out of four mothers feel they bear a greater share of the burden within the household. Among fathers, only one in five shares this perception.

“There is still work to do. All the surveys show us that for many decades, particularly in young couples, the gaps are narrowing. Why? In certain cases, there are still elements of individual will, but we need to realize that there are still stereotypes in our society: the role of a man, of a woman, of a dad, of a mom. These have an impact on families, as well as our society. There’s maybe another factor: he social pressure when we think about family still falls heavily on women. This pressure adds to the mental load and sends the wrong message that family responsibilities fall on moms rather than dads. We think these elements need to change for society to have more egalitarian parenting.”

Among the most popular measures to improve co-parenting, respondents support extending paternity leave, better communication between schools and educational services and both parents, and increased access to family mediation during separations.

The survey was conducted online with 2,817 Quebec parents, including 1,417 mothers and 1,400 fathers.