Fatherhood and men's involvement in domestic and caregiving tasks matter. This is revealed by the growing body of studies produced around the world on the subject over the last two decades.
There is clear evidence about the positive impact of men's involvement in care, especially for maternal and child health, children's cognitive development, women's empowerment, in addition to having positive consequences for the health and well-being of men themselves. However, the available data on the influence of paternity and care on various aspects in Brazil are still insufficient to fulfill the objective of outlining a clear scenario of the paternity situation in the country.
With the intention of gathering available information on the topic, Promundo launches the first report Situation of Fatherhood in Brazil, which also aims to highlight the limitations of this data and encourage its production by government agencies, academic institutions, independent researchers, NGOs and others interested parties.
The discussion surrounding the promotion of fatherhood and care is also directly related to the struggle to overcome inequalities between men and women. The report points out that investment in policies that value fatherhood and the role of men as caregivers has the potential to deconstruct a dominant model of masculinity – patriarchal and sexist –, which reinforces gender inequality, paving the way for the construction of other models non-violent, based on affection and care.
In this sense, the report also includes a discussion about new family arrangements and their relationships with paternity and care, pointing out that it is necessary to address the reality of same-sex families. Both the discrimination and the invisibility of fatherhood among these men come, in part, from the fact that they challenge our preconceived ideas about gender, sexuality and childcare.
Also looking at the institutions that can collaborate in promoting fatherhood and care, the study highlights that the health sector is an essential gateway to the work of promoting fatherhood and care. There are several possibilities already identified in Brazil and in other contexts as long as there is institutional understanding of the importance of the approach for the health of women, children and men themselves.
When men take equal responsibility for unpaid domestic and care work, it opens up space for women to also develop professional skills. According to data from the World Bank (2012), women today make up around 40% of the workforce in the world.
On the other hand, studies reveal that men did not occupy their share in the division of domestic and care tasks. According to research carried out by the International Labor Organization (ILO, 2016), “women perform at least two and a half times more unpaid domestic work and care-related work than men”. These numbers are confirmed by the IMAGES survey, carried out by the Promundo Institute and partners in Brazil.
The report also reveals that among the dimensions that must be considered when designing the paternity panorama in Brazil are private sector relations and practices related to paternity and care work.
The private sector needs to understand that the dynamics of work relations, procedures and internal policies are closely linked to the conditions necessary to produce social justice in the field of gender equity.
Flexible hours, breastfeeding, prenatal consultations, visits to health services, in addition to adapting the number of vacancies and working hours to the entry and exit times of public daycare centers, especially, are on the list of actions that can be adopted by employers. This understanding also needs to be extended to men, so that they can share the care work with women.
An important development in the paternity situation in Brazil was the extension of Paternity Leave from 5 to 20 days (for public employees and companies registered in the Citizen Company program). The expansion was thanks to the approval, in 2016, of the Legal Framework for Early Childhood (Law 13,257, sanctioned by President Dilma on March 8, 2016), which brings understanding of paternal involvement in the rights of young children. Although still far from parental leave, a reality in countries that currently have the best indicators in the field of gender equality around the world, it is considered an advance in Brazil and other countries in the southern hemisphere.
These and more data are gathered in the first State of Fatherhood in Brazil report available here .
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