Québec parents happy in their parenting role, but stressed

Québec, September 28, 2023. – Overall, Québec parents are highly satisfied with parenthood: 98% say they are happy in their parenting role and 97% report feeling close to their children. However, 61% of parents feel that taking care of their children requires more time and energy than they have and 17% consider that their children are the main source of stress in their lives.

This information comes from the report Être parent au Québec en 2022 prepared by the Institut de la statistique du Québec based on the Québec Parenting Survey. This survey was conducted among 19,127 parents of children aged 6 months to 17 years in all of Québec’s regions. The report provides a full portrait of Québec parents and their parenting experience.

Fatigue and lack of time

A large proportion of parents often feel that they have to rush to get everything done each day (48%), are exhausted by the end of the day (35%), or feel that they don’t have enough time for themselves (36%) or their children (20%). Overall, 24% of parents have a very demanding pace of life.

Pressure mainly comes from parents themselves

Nearly half of parents (48%) often or very often put pressure on themselves regarding how they care for their children, while 17% of parents often feel pressure from their family, and 12% from media and social media.

Managing screen time is a major challenge for parents

A significant proportion of parents find it difficult to manage their children’s screen time (39%).

But what about parents’ own screen time? A quarter of parents find it difficult not to check their cellphone when they are spending time with their children, and 43% feel that they use their cellphone too much when they are with them.

Almost half of parents (47%) say that screen devices do not make parenting easier, and 35% consider than the use of screen devices causes tension and conflicts between them and their children.

Other parenting challenges

The other main challenges that parents face are discipline and supervision (20%), monitoring learning and school work (19%), and their children’s lifestyle habits such as eating, sleeping, and physical activity (16%).

More than a quarter of parents say they are struggling financially

About 27% of parents perceive their income as insufficient to meet their family’s basic needs (housing, food, clothing) and 10% of parents consider that their family is fairly or heavily in debt.

Differences between mothers and fathers

Mothers are more likely to:

• Have a higher level of parental stress than other parents.
• Have a very demanding pace of life.
• Report that they are more often responsible for parental duties and household chores.

Fathers are more likely to:

• Rarely or never put pressure on themselves.
• Rarely be able to rely on the people around them when they need help.
• Rarely or never feel supported by those around them when they can’t take it anymore

 

 

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The Institut de la statistique du Québec produces, analyzes and disseminates official, objective and quality statistical information on various aspects of Québec society. It is responsible for conducting all statistical surveys of general interest. The relevance of its work makes it a strategic ally for decision makers and all those wishing to learn more about Québec.