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Fathers as caregivers
Approximately 80 percent of men will become biological fathers at some point in their lives, and virtually all men have some connection to children – as relatives, as teachers, as coaches, or simply as community members. Whether they are biological fathers, stepfathers, adoptive or foster fathers, or legal guardians; whether they are brothers, uncles, or grandfathers; whether they are in same-sex or opposite-sex relationships; and whether they live with their children or not, men’s participation in the daily care of others has a lasting influence on the lives of children, women, and men, and an enduring impact on the world around them.
As men take on more caregiving, research increasingly confirms that fathers’ involvement affects children in much the same ways that mothers’ involvement does. Fathers’ involvement has been linked to higher cognitive development and school achievement, better mental health for boys and girls, and lower rates of delinquency in sons. Studies in multiple countries have shown that fathers’ interaction is important for the development of empathy and social skills in sons and daughters.
Photo: Sebastian Rich/Save the Children
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RecommendedState of the World's Fathers 2015- Child rights perspective
This report is based on the State of the World’s Fathers report, which captures data, policies, programmes, and research related to boys and men’s participation in caregiving and fatherhood, maternal, new-born, and child health, and violence prevention. T
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RecommendedBeing a Father: A State of the World’s Fathers Film
This film follows fathers, mothers, and children from around the world, asking: "What does fatherhood mean to you?" It was produced alongside the launch of "State of the World's Fathers 2015", the first report ever to provide a global view of the state of
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RecommendedEngaging Fathers in Child Care and Gender Equality
This manual was developed as part of the Fatherhood Initiative Project being piloted in Nepal. This manual consists of various participatory activities to facilitate reflections among the fathers’ groups' members on gender equality, violence, care-giving
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RecommendedEngaging Men and Boys: A Brief Summary of UNFPA Experience and Lessons Learned
This report aims to support the work of UNFPA and partners by presenting a background and rationale for engaging men and boys. It illustrates a range of initiatives that have engaged men and boys for the promotion of gender equality as well as sexual and
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RecommendedFathers Matter: Involved fathers change the lives of children
Save the Children knows that involving fathers will change the lives of children. As fathers become more involved in the care of children and domestic work, child health and development outcomes improve, violence against women and children reduce, and mat
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RecommendedState of Africa's Fathers 2015
This report is an adaptation of the global State of the World's Fathers report, which was produced by MenCare, a global campaign to promote men and boys’ involvement as equitable, non-violent caregivers. This regional report focuses on men’s caregiving pr
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RecommendedState of Australia's Fathers 2015
Father and child relationships have profound and wide-ranging impacts on children that last a lifetime. Many men will become fathers at some point in their lives, and almost all have some connection to children. Major changes in both the workplace and hou
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Engaging Male Caregivers to End Early Marriage in Lebanon: Training modules to accompany programs with adolescent girls
The Danish Refugee Council Lebanon (DRC Lebanon) and the Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC) identified a gap in their programming for, and with, adolescent girls. During the initial phase of implementing tailored “safe space” programming for different group
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State of the World's Fathers: Balkan review
This report contains a review of regional policies and practices in the Balkan region which recognize the actual shift in contextualization of gender issues as exclusively women issues. This means that gender issues are also now being considered men issue
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Baba Bora
Baba Bora, music written by Rogers Lucas, encourages fathers to actively participate in the lives of their children, to financially support the family through steady work, and to lead by example as well as by words. The film is shot in Zanzibar and is an
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Mama Shujaa
Mama Shujaa, music written by Rogers Lucas, celebrates family unity, cooperation, the hard work of mothers, and the support and participation of fathers in family life.
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When Men Change: A Promundo Film
"When Men Change" tells the story of four men who changed the way they think about gender equality, sexual and reproductive health, and violence. In recent years, there has been increased interest in exploring how men can contribute to promoting gender eq