“The state of the world’s fathers in one word? Underestimated” – Yannick Glemarec
Date:
UN Women Deputy Executive Director Yannick Glemarec joined UNFPA, the Clinton Foundation, Promundo and various civil society and private sector partners promoting the MenCare global fatherhood campaign, in hosting the launch of the first-ever report on the State of the World’s Fathers on 16 June. The new report provides a global overview of men’s contribution to parenting and caregiving around the world.
“My biggest surprise is that we’ve been waiting this long for this report. It’s 2015 and this is the first report that looks at the status of fathers,” said Mr. Glemarec. “I don’t want my sons to hear what I heard when I asked for paternal leave – ‘Don’t you know that men don’t deliver?’. If we want to change the fathers of tomorrow, we need to work with the children of today. It’s a generational issue.”
Key findings show that not only does involved fatherhood helps children thrive, but it especially allows women and girls to achieve their full potential now, and in future generations. The report cites research illustrating that daughters with fathers who share domestic chores equally are more likely to aspire to less traditional and potentially higher-paying jobs. Data from multi-country studies reveal that men who have seen their own fathers engage in domestic work are themselves more likely to be involved in household work and caregiving as adults.
While the report cites that maternity leave is now offered in nearly all countries, only 92 countries offer leave that can be taken by new fathers; in half of these countries, the leave is less than three weeks. It concludes that well-designed leave policies, when combined with free or affordable childcare, show the strongest potential for shifting the care burden.
Produced by MenCare, the State of the World’s Fathers report is intended to provide a periodic, data-driven snapshot of men’s contributions to parenting and caregiving globally by addressing four issues related to fatherhood: 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. It defines a global agenda for involving men and boys as part of the solution to achieve gender equality and positive outcomes in the lives of women, children, and men themselves.
Watch the archived webcast of the launch video and panel: