How to Participate in #WorldsFathers: June 15, 2021
On Tuesday, June 15, Promundo is launching the fourth State of the World’s Fathers report at the MenEngage Ubuntu Symposium. State of the World's Fathers: Structural Solutions to Achieve Equality in Care Work reveals global data on men’s involvement in care work, hones in on COVID-19’s impact on unpaid care work, and investigates how national COVID-19 policies are advancing or impeding progress. It outlines a 7-point action plan for how to achieve equality in care work. We are asking individuals, organizations, and employers to join us in amplifying the report’s findings online and advocating for closing the care gap, a critical part of advancing gender equality.
- When: Launching Tuesday, June 15, 2021
- Tag: @MenCareGlobal, @Promundo_US
- Primary Hashtags: #WorldsFathers #ActForEqual
- Secondary Hashtags: #paidleave #childcare #COVID19 #caregiving #carework #mencarecommitment #paternityleave
#WorldsFathers Social Media Toolkit
Social media graphics UNDER STRICT EMBARGO UNTIL June 15 2021 8:30 AM ET.
The world is at least 92 years away from achieving equality in unpaid care work between men and women.
Sample Tweets:
- Our societies and economies depend on care, yet the world is at least 92 years away from achieving equality in unpaid care work between men and women. What would a world with care equality look like? Visit StateoftheWorldsFathers.org to learn more. #WorldsFathers
- Globally, women do three to ten times more unpaid care and domestic work than men. Why has equality in unpaid care been so difficult to achieve? Visit StateoftheWorldsFathers.org to learn more. #WorldsFathers
- #COVID19 has exacerbated care work inequalities. The increase in unpaid care work, job losses, and economic stress has added mental health strains, particularly among women. How can we move the dial on unpaid care? Learn more at StateoftheWorldsFathers.org #WorldsFathers
- Surveys in 47 countries affirm that as a result of #COVID19 lockdowns, men have been carrying out more hands-on care work than any time in recent history. Could #COVID19 be a catalyst for moving the dial on unpaid care? Learn more at StateoftheWorldsFathers.org #WorldsFathers
- The “crisis of care” is largely due to inadequate care systems and the disproportionate share of care work carried out by women. What kind of national policies can be set to promote equal care during #COVID19 and beyond? Learn more at StateoftheWorldsFathers.org #WorldsFathers
- Equality in unpaid care is difficult to achieve. Even in countries with years of policy advances to support equality in care work, only about 1/3 of households say they share unpaid care work equally. Why is change so slow? Learn more at StateoftheWorldsFathers.org #WorldsFathers
- Achieving men’s greater participation in caregiving means transforming the structural factors that drive the value of care in society. The State of the #WorldsFathers report provides 7 key actions to promote more equitable care. StateoftheWorldsFathers.org #WorldsFathers
- Men’s full participation in care work is part of a necessary and urgent revolution to prioritize care in economies, societies, and lives. The State of the #WorldsFathers report provides 7 key actions to promote more equitable care. StateoftheWorldsFathers.org #WorldsFathers
ACTION 1: Put in place national care policies and campaigns that recognize, reduce, and redistribute care work equally between men and women.
Sample tweets:
- To achieve equality in unpaid care, we need national care policies that recognize, reduce, and redistribute care work equally. Learn how we can catalyze this in the latest #WorldsFathers report: StateoftheWorldsFathers.org
- Women spend 3x more time on unpaid care work than men. It’s time for governments to put policies in place that reduce the load and redistribute care work. #WorldsFathers StateoftheWorldsFathers.org
- The annual financial value of unpaid care and domestic work is estimated at $10.8 trillion. We need governments to pay care workers a wage that recognizes the importance of care. #WorldsFathers StateoftheWorldsFathers.org
- Women make up 37 million of the 49 million care workers in the EU. We need national care plans that shift norms and support active engagement of male caregivers. #WorldsFathers StateoftheWorldsFathers.org
- Publicly subsidized childcare is one of the most effective ways to support women's economic participation. It’s time for governments to put policies in place that redistribute care work. #WorldsFathers StateoftheWorldsFathers.org
ACTION 2: Provide equal, job-protected, fully paid parental leave for all parents as a national policy.
Sample Tweets:
- To achieve equality in unpaid care, we need employers to provide equal, job-protected, fully paid parental leave for all parents. Learn how we can catalyze this in the latest #WorldsFathers report: StateoftheWorldsFathers.org
- Parental leave can transform gendered patterns of care. We need governments and employers to ensure that this leave is fully paid, equal for all parents and guardians, and available for all family and care arrangements. #WorldsFathers StateoftheWorldsFathers.org
- Research shows that paid and job-protected leave policies for fathers can change the social and political acceptability of men’s uptake of leave and shift individual attitudes about care roles. #WorldsFathers StateoftheWorldsFathers.org
- Same-gender female couples receive the same leave as heterosexual couples in 19 countries, but this is true for same-gender male couples in only 4 countries. This must change. #WorldsFathers StateoftheWorldsFathers.org
- Parental leave policies are among the most immediate and impactful steps governments and employers can take to promote more equal participation by all parents in childcare. #WorldsFathers StateoftheWorldsFathers.org
ACTION 3: Design and expand social protection programs to redistribute care equally between women and men, while keeping a focus on the needs and rights of women and girls.
Sample Tweets:
- To achieve equality in unpaid care, we need governments to implement social protection programs that redistribute care equally between women and men. Learn how we can catalyze this in the latest #WorldsFathers report: StateoftheWorldsFathers.org
- Cash transfer programs provide one of the most flexible & progressive ways to address inequities within communities and expand access to supportive systems, particularly for low-income or marginalized women. #WorldsFathers StateoftheWorldsFathers.org
- @pantawidpamilya in the Philippines is a great example of a social protection program with a focus on care, including specific measures aimed at promoting men’s unpaid care work. Learn more at StateoftheWorldsFathers.org #WorldsFathers
- Governments have the power to move the dial on unpaid care by providing direct cash payments and other benefits to families - these initiatives are often called social protection programs. Learn more at StateoftheWorldsFathers.org #WorldsFathers
- Well-designed social protection programs have provided necessary benefits for millions of the world’s poorest families during the pandemic. We need governments to continue providing these programs to support equality in unpaid care. #WorldsFathers StateoftheWorldsFathers.org
ACTION 4: Transform health sector institutions to promote fathers’ involvement from the prenatal period through birth and childhood and men’s involvement as caregivers.
Sample Tweets:
- We need health sectors to implement policies that engage men in prenatal visits, childbirth, & postnatal care, ensuring that women’s needs and wishes regarding men’s involvement are always followed. Read more in the #WorldsFathers report: StateoftheWorldsFathers.org
- Governments and health ministries must take a positive approach to men’s involvement in care and ensure that men are integrated into health and care around the birth of a child. #WorldsFathers Learn how at StateoftheWorldsFathers.org
- We need governments and health ministries to develop strategies to support men’s involvement in care and encourage services to engage with fathers actively and routinely. #WorldsFathers Learn more at StateoftheWorldsFathers.org
- @rwamrec's Bandebereho program is a great example of integrating parent training programs through public health systems. During #COVID19, couples participating in Bandebereho reported strengthened couple relationships & greater sharing of care work. StateoftheWorldsFathers.org
- 85% of men say they would “do whatever it takes to be very involved” in the early stages of caring for a child. To achieve men’s full participation in care work, we need health sectors to address barriers to men’s involvement. Learn more: StateoftheWorldsFathers.org #WorldsFathers
ACTION 5: Promote an ethic of male care in schools, media, and other key institutions in which social norms are created and reinforced.
Sample Tweets:
- To achieve men’s greater participation in caregiving, we need to promote an ethic of male care in schools, media, and all institutions where social norms are created. Learn how we can catalyze this in the latest #WorldsFathers report: StateoftheWorldsFathers.org
- Studies show that boys learn to care by seeing men around them do care work. We need governments, employers, trade unions, educational institutions, civil society, and media to promote a cultural shift toward valuing care among men. #WorldsFathers StateoftheWorldsFathers.org
- Boys who are encouraged to do care work in the home as children are more likely to be involved caregivers as adults. How can institutions better promote an ethic of male care? Learn more in the latest #WorldsFathers report: StateoftheWorldsFathers.org
- We need to raise boys to see themselves as caregivers. This starts at home but must be an integral and deliberate part of their socialization at school and in the media too. #WorldsFathers StateoftheWorldsFathers.org
- A study found that among the 20 most-watched shows by boys in the US, few showed men as competent caregivers and most presented men as uncaring and violent rather than caring and connected. This needs to change. #WorldsFathers StateoftheWorldsFathers.org
ACTION 6: Change workplace conditions, culture, and policies to support workers’ caregiving – and mandate those changes in national legislation.
Sample Tweets:
- To close the gap in unpaid care, we need governments and employers to support workplace conditions, culture, and policies to support workers’ caregiving. Learn how we can catalyze this in the latest #WorldsFathers report: StateoftheWorldsFathers.org
- Balancing caregiving with paid work is a key issue keeping women out of the paid workforce. How can workplaces support women and men to balance their paid work and caregiving? Learn more at StateoftheWorldsFathers.org #WorldsFathers
- Even when paid leave or flexible time is offered, many women and men feel reluctant to use that leave. To support equality in caregiving, workplaces need a major cultural shift. Learn how we can catalyze this in the latest #WorldsFathers report: StateoftheWorldsFathers.org
- To prevent women from leaving their jobs & to promote more equitable sharing of unpaid care, governments and employers must act to create a world where care is considered a central value of our economic systems. #WorldsFathers report: StateoftheWorldsFathers.org
- To promote men’s uptake of leave and participation at home, we need men, especially those in senior positions, to model change by sharing care work equally with their partners and advocating for more care-friendly policies at work. #WorldsFathers report: StateoftheWorldsFathers.org
ACTION 7: Hold male political leaders accountable for their support of care policies, while advocating for women’s equality in political leadership.
Sample Tweets:
- To promote men’s equitable caregiving, we need male political leaders to support care policies and advocate for women’s equality in political leadership. Learn how we can catalyze this in the latest #WorldsFathers report: StateoftheWorldsFathers.org
- To address the current crisis of care, we need male politicians to show their support for care work by signing on to and voting for an intersectional, feminist care agenda. Read the latest #WorldsFathers report on how political leaders can be allies in the cause: StateoftheWorldsFathers.org
- Now more than ever, we need politicians to be allies in the fight for equal caregiving. Civil society organizations must hold women and men politicians accountable for how they vote on the care agenda. Learn how: StateoftheWorldsFathers.org #WorldsFathers