Why a Global Report on Fathers and Fatherhood?
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‡ 2015 STATE ‡ OF THE WORLD’S FATHERS STATE OF THE WORLD’S FATHERS A MenCare Advocacy Publication 2015 STATE OF THE WORLD’S FATHERS | 3 State of the World's Fathers A MenCare Advocacy Publication View the report at sowf.men-care.org About MenCare: This report was produced by MenCare, a global campaign to promote men and boys’ involvement as equitable, non-violent caregivers. With activities in more than 30 countries, MenCare partners carry out joint advocacy initiatives, research, and programming to engage men in positive parenting, equitable caregiving, violence prevention and in maternal, newborn, and child health. The campaign is co-coordinated by Promundo and Sonke Gender Justice, with Rutgers, Save the Children, and the MenEngage Alliance serving as Steering Committee members. For more information about the campaign and its partners, visit MenCare at www.men-care.org. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of any of its affiliated organizations. For a list of any errors or omissions found subsequent to printing please contact: [email protected]. Suggested citation: Levtov R, van der Gaag N, Greene M, Kaufman M, and Barker G (2015). State of the World’s Fathers: A MenCare Advocacy Publication. Washington, DC: Promundo, Rutgers, Save the Children, Sonke Gender Justice, and the MenEngage Alliance. © Promundo, Rutgers, Save the Children, Sonke Gender Justice, and the MenEngage Alliance, 2015 Version revised 12 June 2015. STATE OF THE WORLD’S FATHERS | 5 FOREWORD By Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka Executive Director, UN Women ike every young girl, my father had a work. It makes a strong case for the need great influence on my life. Along with for change in our societies, public services, my mother, he gave me a sense of social and in our attitudes toward fatherhood and responsibility, social justice, and the strong childrearing. belief that each person has value. Like him, I Achieving gender equality requires a went on to become a teacher and from there on reconfiguration of power relations. That to a life of civil and community service. It is with includes redefining our deeply-ingrained the support of my father that I had the courage perceptions of masculinity and fatherhood. to enter politics and to work with others to end Fathers can help break the cycle of violence apartheid, promote social justice, and advocate and discrimination against women by modeling for equal rights for all. non-violent behaviours and instilling values of That is why I know first-hand that fathers can equality, respect for diversity, empathy, and play a critical role in women’s empowerment human rights for the next generation. They can and in promoting gender equality. This is act confidently as caregivers to both children not just because most men want to see their and ageing parents, and can make an equal daughters grow up in a world that offers the investment in domestic duties and the provision same opportunities to them as to their sons, of household necessities. it is also because fathers with more gender- When men take on more care equitable attitudes are more likely to pass on responsibilities, it empowers women to find those values to their children, their family, and paid work outside the home, to improve their their community. The promotion of gender health and education, and to take on leadership equality in the household, particularly with roles. This is good for everyone: women regard to parenting, is a key step in laying the and girls, men and boys. Gender equality foundation for gender equality in society more also boosts communities through improved broadly. educational outcomes, better health, and The State of the World’s Fathers confirms greater economic prosperity for families and this important fact with data and examples that societies. span across continents and socio-economic There is an urgent need for progress. Despite strata. The report fills a much-needed gap in gains in women’s employment around the examining men’s role in caregiving and domestic world, men’s involvement in care work at home 6 | STATE OF THE WORLD’S FATHERS has yet to catch up. We know that women HeForShe campaign (www.heforshe.org), UN today do 2.5 times more unpaid care work than Women calls on men and boys to take action men. This leaves women less leisure time for to advance gender equality. It encourages productive educational, social and leadership men to take responsibility for dismantling activities. the patriarchy and to call for equality in their homes, communities, workplaces, and societies et there are proven solutions. – even when it means giving up some of their Investments in basic social services privileges. and infrastructure, particularly health And, as the State of the World’s Fathers care, water and sanitation, the provision of shows, this is good for men, too. Just as childcare services, and a comprehensive women and girls, men and boys do not want system of paid parental leave, which includes to be bound by gender stereotypes and paternity leave to enable fathers to support discriminatory social norms. Fatherhood can their partners in childrearing, can help contribute to reducing men’s criminal behaviour reduce and redistribute unpaid care work and and other forms of risk-taking. For many men, empower women to participate on an equal fatherhood enhances well-being and confers a basis in economic life. Promoting more equal sense of purpose and fulfilment. sharing of unpaid care and domestic work We stand at a critical juncture for gender between women and men can help address equality and women’s empowerment. This stereotypes and change social norms. It holds year we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the the potential to transform both labour markets adoption of the Beijing Platform for Action, a and households alike. ground-breaking blueprint for gender equality, Many men and many fathers have realized and governments will soon finalize the post- that the quality of their relationships with the 2015 development agenda. We have committed women in their lives in large part determines to an expiry date for gender equality – Planet the quality of their own lives. They increasingly 50:50 by 2030. It will take all of humanity, see that a system of gender inequality that including committed and engaged fathers, to negatively impacts women and girls around achieve gender equality – and better outcomes them also negatively impacts them. Through our for all – within our generation. STATE OF THE WORLD’S FATHERS | 7 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS REPORT TEAM Report AUTHORS EDItorIAL Board Ruti Levtov (Managing Editor), Nikki van der Promundo Gaag, Margaret Greene, Michael Kaufman, and Gary Barker, Giovanna Lauro, Ruti Levtov Gary Barker, with contributions from: Veronica Rutgers Brown, Kate Doyle, Jane Kato-Wallace, and Rachel Ploem Stephanie Perlson. Save the Children Laxman Belbase, Lena Karlsson, Karen Flanagan Additional research and editorial assistance was Sonke Gender Justice provided by Hannah Bardo, Tatiana Elghossain, Dean Peacock, Wessel van den Berg and Mark Gross. MenEngage Alliance Tomas Agnemo (Men for Gender Equality Sweden) Independent consultants Michael Kaufman, Nikki van der Gaag Production, Coordination, and Dissemination: The production of the report was coordinated by Promundo, including: Nina Ford, Alexa Hassink, and Ruti Levtov. Communications and dissemination were led by Rebecca Ladbury (Ladbury PR) and Alexa Hassink (Promundo), in collaboration with the Editorial Board and: Caroline Freudenthal (Save the Children Sweden), Henrik Halvardsson (Save the Children Sweden), Tim Harwood (MenEngage Alliance), Beatrijs Janssen (Rutgers), Czerina Patel (Sonke Gender Justice), Dionne Puyman (Rutgers), Martin Stolk (Rutgers). Thanks also to Simon Isaacs (Fatherly) for strategic input. Editing and Fact-Checking: Katherine Lewis, John Stone, and Alice Brett Design and layout: Ryan Bowman (Circle Digital) 8 | STATE OF THE WORLD’S FATHERS EXPERT REVIEWERS The report benefited tremendously from thoughtful comments from the following experts. Please note that all errors and omissions are those of the authors and not the responsibility of the expert reviewers. Michal Avni USAID Michael Kimmel Stony Brook University Natasha Cabrera University of Maryland Michael Lamb University of Cambridge Roberta Cecchetti Child Protection Initiative, Luis Mora UNFPA Save the Children Zahrah Nesbitt-Ahmed Institute for Development Yoonjoung Choi USAID Studies Monica Darer Child Protection Initiative, Save Yuri Ohlrichs Rutgers the Children Nuriye Ortayli UNFPA Juan Guillermo Figueroa Perea El Colegio de Dominique Pierre Plateau Child Protection México Initiative, Save the Children Richard Fletcher The University of Newcastle Jaipaul Roopnarine Syracuse University Wendy Holmes Burnet Institute Leyla Sharafi UNFPA Thomas Johansson University of Gothenburg Jeevan Sharma University of Edinburgh Sara Johansson Save the Children Sweden Madeleine Short Fabic USAID Jane Kato-Wallace Promundo Ravi Verma ICRW Renske Keizer Erasmus University Rotterdam & Mary Nell Wegner Harvard T.H. Chan School of University of Amsterdam Public Health Finally, special thanks to MenCare partners around the world whose tireless work inspired this report, and to the more than 60 activists, advocates, and researchers who participated in the State of the World’s Fathers Advocacy Workshop at the 2nd MenEngage Global Symposium in New Delhi, India in November, 2014. Special thanks as well to United Nations Population Fund