MenCare Campaign and the Issues of Gender Equality

The MenCare Campaign held a Gender Week reception at the Radisson Blue Iveria Hotel in Tbilisi on Thursday. The MenCare campaign was launched in July of 2016 by UNFPA in partnership with We Care as part of the United Nations joint program for gender equality. The reception opened with a presentation by Salome Benidze, Communications and Advocacy Officer at UNFPA, about the MenCare campaign, which encourages men to support gender equality through engagement with family activities and support of women.

UNFPA began its work on gender equality in Georgia in 2010 with Men Talking to Men training sessions followed by the Men and Gender Relations in Georgia survey in 2013 which has become the basis of newer initiatives.

“Notwithstanding the fact that Georgia still has a long way to go to achieve gender equality, I’m sure more men will be encouraged to actively participate in our initiative and discussion on gender issues that has already started. We’ve invited all those men for whom gender equality, creation of a healthy environment, caregiving and sharing of responsibility is of high value. ” Salome Benidze said.   

While Georgian society undoubtedly still struggles to break down the stereotype that women should be children’s primary caregivers, the MenCare campaign event could be an indication that those deeply rooted “traditions” may change in the near future. That shift was visible yesterday, when Government officials, well-known public figures, and artists gathered at the reception and declared their support for the campaign. They shared their experiences of being involved in their own children’s lives and at times being surprised by how enjoyable and rewarding it can be to get engaged in everyday activities with their children, including reading a book before bedtime, helping with homework, or talking about school.  

“Our country is not only in political and economic flux, we also have to change our thinking, and breaking stereotypes about the role of men in the [childcare] process is extremely important. As men and as fathers we have to ensure that our children feel comfortable and happy in society. Let’s be honest, neither men nor women are dominant in our society. In the society where we live in violence, lack of education, and poor attitudes towards children are dominant. It is crucial to address the problems we’re facing. Both men and women are equally responsible for raising our children, our future generation.” said Kakhi Kaladze, Vice Premier of Georgia, who’s been participating in the Dad, Read Me a Book campaign from its beginning.

Archil Talakvadze, member of Georgian parliament, stressed the significance of the MenCare campaign in the development of Georgian society, listing discrimination, violence against women and unequal pay practices among the top issues that need to be addressed and solved. “We need to undertake braver steps and show more examples of real gender equality, enhancing the role of women in our society.” He said, mentioning that during his work at Ministry of Internal affairs of Georgia, the number of women working in the sector increased by 4%, and the almost 500 women working in the police system managed to achieve considerable results reducing violence against women.   

“We can say that gender equality is a great moral challenge, but it’s not just about morality, it’s about economics, and it’s about peace and it’s about stability” Niels Scott, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative to Georgia, said in his speech. He noted the rise in the number of women in Georgian parliament and in leadership positions “shows that the change is indeed possible.” However, the gendered pay gap has been pointed to as an area in which women still struggle.

Giorgi Kekelidze, Director of Georgia’s National Library also talked about the necessity of liberating ourselves from stereotypes and understanding that taking care of children should not be the responsibility and prerogative of women only, proposing to add a MenCare campaign as part of the library’s project Equilibrum.

Mirian Jugeli, one of the initiators of the Dad, Read Me a Book campaign and the MenCare campaign activist, shared how the idea of the initiative was born and succeeded through different projects, following the Men and Gender Relations in Georgia survey which highlighted that the share of men involved in daily activities with children did not exceed 5%.     

“Being a dad is one of the most pleasant challenges that I’ve ever had in my life. Raising the engagement of men in the MenCare campaign is the most important thing we can do,” Musician Sandro Sulakvelidze, a young father and activist, said during the final presentation of the event.

by Nino Gugunishvili