Increasing men’s involvement in responsible parenthood: national-level policy efforts in Croatia, India, and Mexico

ABSTRACT

Since the ratification of the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action (ICPD PoA), the importance of promoting men’s participation in childcare has been recognized as an international priority. This study documents national policy efforts undertaken during the ICPD PoA timeframe to increase men’s participation in childcare in Croatia, India, and Mexico. Results of our policy analysis suggest that although between 1995 and 2014, the governments of Croatia, India and Mexico applied diverse policy approaches to promote paternal involvement, more efforts are needed to challenge the traditional division of childcare responsibilities between parents, recognize and value unpaid care work, and increase men’s opportunities to participate in the lives of their children in these countries.

RESUMEN

Desde la ratificación de la Conferencia Internacional sobre el Programa de Acción de Población y Desarrollo (PoA de la CIPD), la importancia de promover la participación de los hombres en el cuidado infantil ha sido reconocida como una prioridad internacional. Este estudio documenta los esfuerzos de política nacional emprendidos durante el período de PoA de la CIPD para aumentar la participación de los hombres en el cuidado infantil en Croacia, India y México. Los resultados de nuestro análisis de políticas sugieren que, aunque entre 1995 y 2014, los gobiernos de Croacia, India y México aplicaron diversos enfoques de políticas para promover la participación de los padres, se necesitan más esfuerzos para desafiar la división tradicional de las responsabilidades de cuidado infantil entre los padres y las madres, reconocer y valorar el trabajo de cuidado no remunerado, y aumentar las oportunidades de los hombres para participar en la vida de sus hijos en estos países.

KEYWORDS:

• Men
• parenthood
• policy
• Croatia
• India
• Mexico

PALABRAS CLAVE:

• hombres
• paternidad
• política
• Croacia
• India
• México

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 https://promundoglobal.org/.

Additional information

Funding

Research for this article was supported in part by the Doctoral Fellowship Program, which is funded and administered by the Open Society Institute (OSF). The opinions expressed herein are the authors’ own and do not necessarily express the views of OSF. This work was also supported by an Olga I. Ogousson Doctoral Research Award from the Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior at the University of South Carolina.

Notes on contributors

Salima Kasymova

Dr Salima Kasymova, PhD, MD, MPH is a public health researcher and a trained doctor-neonatologist with over 15 years of experience in public health with special focus on promoting the health of women, children and adolescents, reproductive health, and gender equality. Her research has focused on access to and quality of medical services, reproductive health, and paternal involvement.

Katrina M. Walsemann

Dr Katrina M. Walsemann, PhD, MPH is an Associate Professor of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior in the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina. Her research examines how social inequities influence health across the life course. She is particularly interested in how experiences within the education system shape individuals’ physical and mental health, independent from and in relation to other structural factors such as race/ethnicity, gender, and social class.

James F. Thrasher

Dr James F. Thrasher, PhD, MA, MS is a Professor in the Department of Health Promotion, Education & Behavior in the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina, USA. For almost two decades, he also has been a Researcher and Visiting Professor at the Mexican National Institute of Public Health, where much of his research is based. His research has been funded by a variety of foundations and federal agencies, with projects assessing the effects of media and policy on healthy eating and tobacco use across a number of countries. In recognition of his research productivity and impact on science and policy – both nationally and internationally – he received the World Health Organization’s (WHO) World No Tobacco Day Award in 2016. He also serves on the Food and Drug Administration’s Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee, which provides information and recommendations to the FDA Commissioner around tobacco product regulation.

Gary Barker

Dr Gary Barker, PhD, is a leading global voice in engaging men and boys in advancing gender equality and positive masculinities. He is the CEO and founder of Promundo, which has worked for 20 years in more than 40 countries. Gary is co-founder of MenCare, a global campaign working in 45 countries to promote men’s involvement as caregivers, and co-founder of MenEngage, a global alliance of more than 700 NGOs. He created and leads the International Men and Gender Equality Survey (IMAGES), the largest ever survey of men’s attitudes and behaviors related to violence, fatherhood, and gender equality. He has advised the UN, the World Bank, numerous national governments, and key international foundations and corporations on strategies to engage men and boys in promoting gender equality. In 2017 he was named by Apolitical as one of the 20 most influential people in gender policy around the world. He is an Ashoka Fellow and received the Voices of Solidarity Award from Vital Voices for his work to engage men for gender equality. He holds a PhD. in Developmental Psychology.

Deborah L. Billings

Dr Deborah L. Billings, PhD, is an Associate Adjunct Professor at the Arnold School of Public Health (University of South Carolina) and the Gillings School of Global Public Health (University of North Carolina), Senior Advisor, Group Care Global, and faculty affiliate at the Institute for Families in Society (University of South Carolina).