Press Release

 

The Significance of a Father’s Role shown by final EOC report

 

• ‘Completing the Revolution’ speaks of the share of childcare by both parents in intact families
   

• Families Need Fathers welcomes this report and launch of the Gender Agenda 

 

Providing a broad ranging report of the state of gender equality in Britain across a variety of indicators, the EOC’s report ‘Completing the Revolution’ presents the reality of changing roles of men and women, with fathers and mothers having near to equal levels of care for their children in ‘united’ families.

 

FNF has been supportive of the work of the EOC, and especially their recent work looking at the family. John Baker, FNF Chair, said: “One of the barriers to the equality of women in employment, politics and the like has been the expectation that childcare is solely or mainly the responsibility of the children's mother. The wish of fathers to have more of a role here has been growing rapidly but has had little encouragement from public policy. They have been denied access to the emotionally richest part of life. The EOC, especially under Jenny Watson, has drawn attention to this issue. We pledge ourselves to continue this aspect of its work.”

 

“One of the most extreme examples of discrimination occurs after family separation. It is assumed that when this happens one parent, most often the mother, must take on virtually all of the parenting. The other, most often the father, is expected to finance this, but to become an occasional visitor to the children. The most important people to suffer from this policy are the children,” he added.

 

As part of the EOC’s fanfare, evidence is produced that in intact families the care of the children by their mother and their father is near to equal. Contrary to the less optimistic assessment of other aspects of gender equality, in this area of parenting complete equality is not far off.

 

The same does not apply however following separation, when traditional polarised attitudes still apply.

 

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Note for editors: Families Need Fathers (FNF) is a registered charity providing information and support on shared parenting issues arising from family breakdown, and support to divorced and separated parents, irrespective of gender or marital status. Our primary concern is the maintenance of the child’s relationship with both parents. Founded in 1974, FNF helps thousands of parents every year.

 

 

Please see Families Need Fathers Manifesto

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