Research Clusters
RC/W has three Research Clusters: (1) Childcare, (2) Parental Leave, and (3) Employment Policies. Each focuses on cutting-edge national and international thinking in research and policy developments. These clusters also work together via cross cluster projects to explore care/work policies and practices in an array of household settings and environments.
We aim to strengthen alignment between these three care/work policy areas and to contribute to scholarship and advocacy for all people and families, with a strong focus on lower-income, Indigenous, racialized, rural families, and families with disabilities.
Childcare
The Childcare Research Cluster recognizes that childcare is a fundamental social infrastructure, an essential service to families and the economy, and a key element of the care economy. Our team brings together researchers, policy experts and activists. We are committed to understanding and improving childcare services across all provinces and territories.
Parental Leave
The Parental Leave Research Cluster asks: What should parental leave benefits look like in post-pandemic Canada? Our team includes some of Canada’s leading parental leave researchers and advocates as well as leading international experts.
Employment Policies
The Employment Policies Research Cluster aims to understand and improve employment policies for diverse families in Canada. Our team is made up of employment experts from across the country.
Cross Cluster Projects
Families’ Care/Work Lives and COVID-19
This national and international project aims to assess the diverse immediate and (potential) long-term consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on parents’ paid and unpaid work, employment experiences and outcomes, and gendered divisions and relations of household work and care work.
Care/Work Portrait Project
As a follow-up to the international Familydemic survey and our Canadian version of this survey, we developed a qualitative research study and interviewed (via Zoom) individuals and couples about their care and work lives with a view to understanding key contemporary issues and challenges for diverse Canadian families on paid and unpaid work.