Involve fathers in childcare
AROUND 80 percent of the world's men and boys will become fathers during their lifetime, and virtually all men have at least some connection to children in caregiving relationships. Despite this, the practice of engaging men in caregiving is virtually invisible in public policies and discourses. The first-ever State of the World's Fathers (SOWF) report is urging us to think and take actions about this. The report is a landmark analysis of fatherhood that draws evidence from hundreds of studies covering all countries in the world with available data. Published by MenCare, a global fatherhood campaign, the SOWF report is intended to provide a periodic, data-driven snapshot of the status of men's contributions to parenting and caregiving globally, and addresses four issues related to fatherhood; these are unpaid care work in the home; sexual and reproductive health and rights and maternal, newborn, and child health; men's caregiving and violence against children and women; and child development. I am going to focus on unpaid care work in the home and child development.
Let us review the status of work by women and men, and the implications. Women continue to spend between 2 to 10 times more time than men caring for a child or older person. These inequalities persist despite the fact that women today make up 40 percent of the formal global workforce and 50 percent of the world's food producers. Isn't it interesting to note that men's unpaid caregiving has not kept pace with women's participation in the labour force? Each day I meet Bangladeshi women from different socio-economic status who are engaged in economic activities and perform caregiving responsibilities without support from their partners. Even in Europe, which as a region has achieved the greatest degree of equality; women do 26 hours of domestic and care work on average per week, as compared to nine hours per week for men. The double burden carried by many women reduces their ability to contribute to the household economy, as well as to develop their own skills and talents outside the home. In a study in Latin America and the Caribbean, more than 50 percent of women aged 20 to 24 said that their unpaid responsibilities in the home were the main reason they could not look for paid work. Isn't this a familiar scenario in Bangladesh as well? Don't all of us know women who could not enter the job market or had to leave jobs after having children? Many women cannot pursue higher education or professional development opportunities due to their role as caregivers, which means they are not able to realise their full potential.
According to the report, a lack of supportive policies, particularly paternity leave for new fathers, is part of the problem. Between 61 and 77 percent of fathers say they would work less if it meant that they could have more time with their children. However, although maternity leave is now offered in nearly all countries, only 92 countries offer leave that can be taken by fathers. For half of these, the leave is less than three weeks. Iceland seems to be the world champion in men's use of paternity leave. On an average, Icelandic men take 103 days of paid leave, but it is still only a third of what women take.
What are the benefits of involving men on caregiving of children? Well-designed leave policies for fathers have the potential to transform gender relations at home, at work, and in society at large. A study from Sweden showed that every month that fathers took paternity leave increased the mother's income by 6.7 percent, as measured four years later, which was more than she lost by taking parental leave herself.
There is scientific evidence that children need at least one deeply involved and dedicated caregiver to thrive, and that this can be a man or a woman. Evolution has left men as deeply biologically wired for emotional connections to children as women are. Moreover, fathers with close connections to their children live longer, have fewer health problems, and are more productive and generally happier.
Gender equality will not be achieved unless men are engaged in the care of their children and families. "When fathers take on their fair share of the unpaid care work, it can alter the nature of the relationships between men and women and children, as both fathers and mothers will have more time for their children, women are released from some of their 'double burden,' and fathers get to experience the joys, satisfactions, and stresses of caring for their children," said SOWF report author Nikki van der Gaag. "Taking up roles as caregivers also offers men the opportunity to begin to break free from the narrow concepts of manhood and fatherhood, providing their sons and daughters with positive role models, improved health and development, and higher hopes for the future." The SOWF report reaffirms that fathers matter for children and that caregiving is good for fathers. This will help in beginning to lay the groundwork to influence future policies and programmes around the world that address the current lack of men's and boys' equitable participation in caregiving. Rigid gender stereotypes and the harm these bring to women, children, and men themselves also have to be addressed.
Some of the recommendations of the report are: states should adopt and implement parental leave policies for both mothers and fathers that guarantee paid parental leave that is equitable and non-transferable between parents. States should adopt and implement policies that specifically encourage and support fathers' and caregivers' involvement in early childhood development, care, and education. How long will it take for us to recognise that parenting is a shared responsibility and take appropriate policy actions to introduce parental leave for fathers? The policy decision will have to be supported by campaign to bring changes in social attitudes that still consider women to be solely responsible for rearing children, and performing caregiving and other household responsibilities.
Achieving true gender equality demands a revolution in the lives of men and boys, which includes their full participation in domestic life.
The writer is Director of Child Protection, Save the Children.
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