‘Making the Gender Equality Duty Real for Children, Young People & their Fathers’

‘Making the Gender Equality Duty Real for Children, Young People and their Fathers’ is a 3 year project funded by the Scottish Government’s Equality Unit, 2008-2011.

A dedicated project website can be found at the following link: http://makinggenderequalityreal.org.uk/

The UK-wide Gender Equality Duty places a legal responsibility upon public bodies to identify specific gender equality issues and areas for action and, more broadly, to actively promote gender equality.  This provides a key opportunity to challenge assumptions and ways of working which (often inadvertently) have perpetuated gender stereotyping and sexual discrimination.      

Until recently, gender equality initiatives have (with good reason) tended to focus on promoting the needs and interests of women.  In practice, women still tend to take the lead responsibility in caring for children.  Education, health and other children’s services have tended to deal predominantly with children and their mothers. 

The 'Making the Gender Equality Duty Real for Children, Young People & their Fathers' project promotes the value and importance of involving fathers positively in their children's lifes. It is well established that fathers (whether resident or non-resident, biological or de-facto, good or bad) are profoundly important to the development, wellbeing and life chances of their children.

This project will encourage professionals and organisations providing services for children (e.g. nurseries, schools, medical practices, hospitals and social services) to promote active, positive engagement with fathers and father figures in children’s lives.

Wider goals of the project include:

• Reducing gender stereotyping associated with caring roles

• Reducing occupational gender segregation in professions serving children and young people

• Reducing gender stereotyping in the career choices of current and future generations

• Promoting family-friendly working practices for both men and women as parents.

These aims will be achieved through monitoring and reporting on the implementation of the Gender Equality Duty; and by identifying and sharing examples of good practice. The project will inform the development of practices which:

• Promote the wellbeing and life opportunities of children

• Value carers and caring roles

• Support a healthier work/life balance and increase opportunities for both men and women.

A copy of the Children in Scotland publication 'Making the Gender Equality Duty real for children, young people and their fathers' can be downloaded from the link below.

'Making the Gender Equality Duty real for children, young people and their fathers'

You can find out more about this project, sign up for updates and/or share your own examples of good practice by contacting Dr Katrina Allen, tel: 0131 222 2440; email: kallen@childreninscotland.org.uk or by visiting the project website http://makinggenderequalityreal.org.uk/

Contact details
for this section:

Katrina Allen

Policy Officer

Telephone:
0131 222 2440

Click here to send an email