Celebrating fathers who play their role and do it well

In a Swedish survey a few years back, thousands of children were asked who they would rather turn to for comfort. The father came in fifth place — after the alternative of going to no one at all! This is, to say the least, a saddening result for fathers and children alike. 

Research has shown fathers who are more involved during and after the birth of their child have a better longer-term role in their children’s lives. Engagement by the father also has a positive effect on the health of the mother.

Fathers’ involvement has been linked to higher cognitive development and school achievement for the child, better mental health for boys and girls and lower rates of delinquency in sons, but not only that; men who are involved in meaningful ways with their children report this relationship to be one of their most important sources of well-being and happiness.

PARENTING

Sharing parenting equally has positive effects on children and their parents, but also on society. Men’s equal involvement in child rearing and household responsibilities brings economic benefits. Equal parenting allows women to work more. The United Nations Development Programme estimated that in 2016 the gender gap in the labour market cost sub-Saharan Africa $US95 billion a year. Looking at other parts of the world, data from the report ‘State of the World’s Fathers’ indicate “if women participated in the labour market to the same extent as men, it is estimated the gross domestic product could increase in the United States by five per cent, in Japan by nine per cent, in the United Arab Emirates by 12 per cent, and in Egypt by 34 per cent”. Translated to the global economy, inequality costs the world trillions of dollars every year. 

Sharing housework and child care is at the core of gender (in)equality. On a global average, women spend three times longer caring for their children, elders and households, compared to men. Equality starts at home. But how can we get there? Traditional gender roles are deeply rooted in social norms, the reality of the workplace, and in laws and policies.

BARBER

One solution is legislation. While in many countries there are no laws providing for paternal leave, in Kenya fathers are entitled to 14 days of paid leave under the Employment Act.

Trail-blazing companies in Kenya, like Microsoft, recognise the importance of active fatherhood, and have increased the paternal leave for their employees to six weeks. It is also worth noting that increasingly fathers are opting to schedule their annual leave to coincide with the birth of a baby in order to bond and provide support to the mother.  

The trend of fathers’ greater involvement does not end with paternal leave and we are witnessing increasing cases of fathers becoming the “go to parents in Kenya” in certain respects of family life. Some fathers are taking their little girls to the hair salon and their little boys to the barber with pride! Perhaps the best illustration of the extent of the involvement of fathers in Kenya is their primacy in custody disputes; in the 1990s mothers invariably took sole custody while the fathers got peripheral rights like access. Today, joint legal custody is the standard and the physical custody is also shared fairly.

Since Sweden became the first country in the world to introduce paternal leave in 1974, it has seen a dramatic change in the attitude towards parenting among fathers, which has led to an increase in the amount of leave they take with their children.

1974

The number of fathers using their paternal leave was very low in Sweden a few years ago. Today, if you travel to almost any Swedish city, you will see hordes of proud fathers pushing prams and playing with their children.

Perhaps most important of all are those dads who love to show us what it means to be a father. Among these great role-models is Swedish photographer Johan Bävmans who created a now world-famous photo exhibition in 2015 showing #SwedishDads on paternal leave with their children. This May, inspired by #SwedishDads, we are celebrating #KenyanDads in a similar way with an exhibition of the 28 best photographs submitted to the Swedish Embassy by Kenyan families showing fathers and children enjoying their daily life together.

See both exhibitions side by side at Village Market from May 17.

Ambassador of Sweden to Kenya, H.E. Ms Anna Jardfelt                                              

Kenyan Family Lawyer and Human Rights Activist, Ms Judy Thongori       

Mr Thomas Agnemo, Gender Adviser Plan International Sweden, co-editor of the 2017 State of the World’s Fathers report