The Power of Involved Fatherhood: Fathers from Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco Lead the Way

A group of fathers from Egypt, Jordan and Morocco are challenging long-held social norms around fatherhood and caregiving. Once hesitant to take an active role in childcare and household responsibilities, they are now embracing more engaged and equitable approaches to family life.  

The three fathers, from diverse backgrounds and walks of life, have one thing in common: they have been part of the community-based interventions of the Dare to Care programme, a UN Women regional initiative -funded by Sweden, Germany and the Basque Country region- that  addresses social norms that impede men’s involvement in childcare and household responsibilities and women’s economic empowerment across the Arab region. Through social activities, mentorship, and peer support, they have discovered the transformative power of engaged fatherhood for their families and themselves. Meet the fathers who are challenging social norms and embracing the joys of caregiving.

Mamoun Saleh: Sowing Seeds of Equality at Home in Jordan

Mamoun Saleh’s journey towards more engaged fatherhood began in Russeifa city in Jordan. The 55-year-old father of four - two daughters and two sons - once viewed childcare and household responsibilities primarily as his wife’s role. After participating in sessions organised by a community-based organisation, Athar under the Dare to Care programme, he gradually began to rethink his role within the family. Throughout this story, Mamoun tells us how he started being more present with his children and speaks to the positive impact of the more equal distribution of household and childcare responsibilities had on his wife and children.

"I used to focus on my job only, I went home and slept after work, I spent very little time with my family, no time to connect or strengthen my relationship with them. Now, I am much more involved in parenting, and it has had a profoundly positive impact on my children's well-being."

Mamoun is a strong advocate for his wife and eldest daughter’s successes in their small-business projects and has started to take on more household and care work to support his wife’s endeavors. "My wife is now working on a very successful home-based project. We do everything hand-in-hand, both in her project and at home. We decided to also divide household responsibilities among our children. Every night, we sit down over a cup of coffee and plan out responsibilities for the next day."

"We encouraged my eldest daughter to start her own project – she named it 'Takder' after the Dare to Care programme’s name in Arabic. We sit together as a family, discuss her goals, and offer advice. Now, I even plan for my future with my two daughters, and it's a healthy way to connect with them."

"The advice and recommendations through the sessions really helped break down the barrier that men can't be involved in household and childcare work, especially here in the Levant region, I feel like this was a tough perception to shift, but it's happening."

Mamoun has decided to pass on the torch to fellow fathers and men in his community. "I'm now sharing the messages I learned from the sessions with people in my community. Most recently, I have started discussing these ideas with my brother, and he has already attended four sessions with me. Next Father’s Day, I promise he will be the one interviewed about his experience," Mamoun added determinedly.

Nady Ashry: A Journey of Changed Perceptions on Fatherhood in Egypt

A quiet village in Fayoum, Egypt, witnessed a transformation in Nady Ashry's household, where the 46-year-old father of two boys and two girls, discovered the true meaning of partnership in households and the benefits of a more equal distribution of unpaid care responsibilities with his family members.

Nady, alongside his wife Warda Eid, reflected on the man he once was, a guardian of patriarchal norms. Nady used to never bring himself a cup of water or take his own laundry off the drying rack, so his neighbors would not see him doing household responsibilities.

Nady’s wife was hospitalised for a few days following the sessions he had been attending with Gozour Foundation through the Dare to Care programme, he shares how he was put to the test and was able to deliver. “I cooked for our children, I did the laundry, I took the children to the nursery, I cleaned, I did everything. How can people except a woman to take care of four children and manage all household responsibilities on her own?” Nady wondered.

Nady attributes his transformation in views on household roles to a combination of faith and social awareness, as he explains: “What made me change my mind is that 90 per cent of it came from learning about our role model, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and how he used to contribute in home. The remaining 10 per cent came from realising how harsh society can be on women by limiting them to a single role,” Nady shares thoughtfully.

Nady and his wife both shared a very insightful observation on how they started having more free time together when they divided household responsibilities and how his wife started making crafts with his help and her children’s help in her free time.

Nady shared how he is committed to passing on the values he learned to his two sons and has already seen a positive outcome. “My sons do a lot of household responsibilities, because they see me doing this behavior. I made sure to pass this on to them, it’s not okay for him to ask his sister for water, why wouldn’t he bring it himself,” Nady said.

Azzedine Sbai: Challenging Myths on Fatherhood in Morocco

In Loudaya, a town nestled in the outskirts of Morocco, Azzedine Sbai, father of 4-year-old Lina, is challenging myths on masculinities and fatherhood – one shared task at a time. Throughout his story Azzedine also shares how his perceptions on his role as a father has changed over the years and how he believes social norms that once discouraged men from participating in household and childcare duties are beginning to fade.

“We share things equitably at home. Any responsibility that I have time to take on, I do. I cook, I clean, and I help the children with their homework and play with them. I think men must participate in domestic responsibilities, you cannot leave everything to the woman, it's too much for one person and can cause stress," Azzedine said.

Azzedine is one of many men who are taking part in sessions that engage men in household and childcare work organized by UN Women’s community based-intervention partner, Project Soar in Morocco.

Azzedine said he has noticed that perspectives are evolving, and people are recognizing that family responsibilities are a shared endeavor between men and women. “Traditions, not religion, promoted the belief that a man who shared household responsibilities was not manly enough. Today, more people are recognising that family responsibilities should be shared, and this shift is consistent with religious teachings. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) says “The best among you are those who are the best to their families (خيركم خيركم لأهله),” Azzedine adds.

Azzedine reflects on the values he inherited from his father and is now passing on to his own children. "For me, these include maintaining a close relationship with your children, and sharing household responsibilities," he says as he recalls his father occasionally cooking tagines. "There are some positive habits that you naturally pass on to your children. As for the negative ones, we should stop them with our generation and not pass them on any further," he said, wrapping up.

These three stories reflect the positive impact of the interventions of UN Women’s Dare to Care programme in its target communities, in alignment with the quantitative findings of the mid-term evaluation of these activities. Remarkably, this evaluation has found that the interventions have so far prompted a reduction of the gap between men and women in the time dedicated by married couples from the communities of 73 minutes per day in Morocco, and of 47 minutes per day in Jordan (data from Egypt not available yet). Dare to Care is part of TransformCare Initiative, a global programme of UN Women implemented in 51 countries with the aim of advancing a transformative vision of care as a cornerstone of equality between men and women, social cohesion, wellbeing, and the realization of human rights.