Policy areas

FAMILIES & HOUSEHOLDS - Gender roles and responsibility sharing

 

Traditionally in all societies, there is a sex-specific division of labour, which peaks during the family formation years. Despite the fact that in all countries of the region, an increasing number of women have entered the labour force, the societal response to the changing needs of families, where both partners work outside the home has been slow. Similarly, men have been slow to adapt to changing family needs in terms of sharing the responsibilities of running a home and raising children, even where women are full-time employed outside the domestic walls.

 

Although parenthood affects the lives of most women and men in all aspects, women’s lives continue to be influenced by parenthood to a much larger extent than men’s lives are. Many factors intervene. The most important are the opportunities available to women in terms of education and work, women’s and men’s knowledge of and access to family planning, gender roles and interrelations within and outside the family, the existence of adequate family and social policies, and the overall social and cultural context. However, the inclusion of men and variables related to gender roles and relations has not become common practice in official data collection and in many countries is still at a preliminary stage. Involving men in reproduction choices and in family responsibilities has a growing policy relevance as these issues are recognised by many to be the most important for the realisation of gender equity.

 

Examples of policies in the region:
Canada: policies on balancing work and family life
Sweden: enhancing the role of fatherhood