A father with his child in Bali. Photo: Jeda Villa Bali (flickr)

The UN has pledged to promote gender equality. So why are social development initiatives ignoring men?

On Sunday, June 17, children across the world will honor their fathers with homemade gifts, heartfelt cards, and breakfast in bed. However, for many children in African countries, Father’s Day will be just another yearly reminder of the gaping hole in their families left by an absent or deficient father.

According to a study about men and fatherhood in Africa covered by the Inter Press Service, “by 2002, less than 40 percent of all African children aged 15 years or younger were reported as living with their fathers, compared to almost 90 percent of white children.” While the suspected causes of these figures vary by country and historical and economic contexts, the implications for children raised with absent fathers are clear. Girls who grow up with a father in the household face a diminished chance of sexual abuse and will be psychologically better off later in life. Correspondingly, boys raised with positive male role models in the household are seen as less likely to abuse their spouses later in life, and can better appreciate the value of practicing gender equality.

International development programs know that absent fathers are a problem. So why aren’t they doing more to solve it? The influx of international aid projects over the past decade has been overwhelmingly directed at women. The development milieu in Africa is dominated by efforts to increase women’s empowerment and equality, and it’s not hard to understand why. It is easier to get behind a poor uneducated mother trying to feed her children than it is to find the man who took off when faced the financial and emotional responsibilities of fatherhood.

The importance of empowering women to overcome gender inequality and poverty is undeniable. But some are asking: what is the place of men and fathers in achieving these goals?

Men’s organizations are often neglected by grants that prefer to aid women. Trevor Davies, director of the Zimbabwe-based organization African Fathers explains to IPS that stereotypes are a big reason why women are targeted in development over men. “There is little recognition of the intergenerational link between poverty and the persistent stereotyping of men as obstacles to development rather than partners in solving problems.” Additionally, cultural stigma makes it difficult for individual men to make a difference in their communities. In South Africa, for example, where patriarchy still clearly dictates gender roles, this stigma deters men from taking on “feminine” domestic roles. “Men are often left out of community initiatives, particularly care and the upbringing of children,” said Patrick Godana, project manager for Sonke Gender Justice.

The few NGOs that have found support, however, have been hugely influential. A group of seven men who were trained by the NGO Sonke Gender Justice have shown their communities the benefits of overcoming gender inequality through their work as caregivers for an HIV/AIDS group in South Africa. Initially criticized, these men are now role models for social change in their communities, the Inter Press Service reported in 2008. Women still do “ten times more care work then men”, says Sonke co-Director Dean Peacock. Nonetheless, programs that help raise awareness for issues of gender equality and challenge male attitudes towards childcare will continue to benefit men and women alike in the long run.

These programs stress that the role of a father is not limited to the biological parent. Says Davies, “Many men can play the role of father to a child, including grandfathers, uncles, stepfathers, foster-fathers, older brothers, cousins or family friends.” What’s important is that children are not deprived of all the benefits and happiness a supportive father-figure can provide.

Too many men are missing from families. They shouldn't go missing from the world's development agenda, too.