Final Report of the Project: Different facets of men's roles in European families. Surveys and awareness-raising measures to promote equality between women and men.
Men's changing family roles in Europe
At the end of a European project supported by the European Commission and the Belgian Institute for Equal Opportunities between Women and Men, COFACE has published a 20-page brochure presenting the Synthesis of the results and the Recommendations regarding the changing roles of men in families in Europe. Seven partner NGOs participated in the project coming from seven different member States: Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Greece, Italy and Portugal. Some significant results in terms of resistance to change. Why is men�??s involvement in household and family duties so poor as compared to that of women?
A few hard facts work against desired attitudinal changes:
- persistent gender-unequal pay and employment conditions (a 15% pay gap EU-wide)
- labour market segregation resulting from a lack of any gender balance in school courses
- interest-based sectionalism of the main economic and social actors
- workplace atmospheres and career risks
- work organisation and parental and family leave policies that do not match families' needs
- lack of essential family services
- gender stereotypes perpetuated through the educational system, the media,...
Moreover, it seems that re-characterizing the father stereotype is arguably the most decisive factor in bringing about the attitudinal change needed to move men's and women's family roles forward. Such an evolution would also have a beneficial influence on attitudinal and behavioural changes towards men as caregivers to dependent elderly parents and other dependent family members.
At a micro-social level, the main obstacles to progress clearly seem to be a failure of couples to talk to one another and the resistance of both to change. The age-old division of tasks is arguably still perceived by many as intrinsic to the affirmation of their respective gendered identities.
Recommendations
Engineering real equality between men's and women's rights cannot stop short at the workplace and public sphere, however essential that may be. It must also extend to the private sphere where the family holds pride of place, failing which the existing gender inequalities will be perpetuated indefinitely.
Six broad spheres of public policy action can be drawn, in order:
- gender equality in employment
- family service provision
- flexible working hours and, more especially, parental and family leave
- education and training
- information
- social organisation of time
To this should be added the individualisation of social security rights and tax law, both of which have a positive impact on women's absorption into employment.
Above recommendations are addressed to local, regional, national and European authorities, as each level has an important role to play.
In order to create favourable conditions, improved men's take-up of family responsibilities requires a comprehensive approach at all levels of authority.
The brochure can be obtained in 8 languages at our Secretariat, by e-mail: secretariat@coface-eu.org or you can download it directly hereafter:
