Equal Parenting

The vision of the “Equal Parenting” project is to educate about egalitarian parenthood to produce happier families, breaking stereotypes about the roles of mother and father.

Objective:
Our goal is to provide training on egalitarian parenting, with a special focus on gender social roles, comparable models, lack of empathy, divorce, and stress. In all societies, we can clearly see the roles that our birth has given us. Patriarchal beliefs develop unconsciously in our minds throughout childhood. Without even realizing it, we fall into this paradigm. That is why it is crucial to emphasize that the rules are not really rules but rather outdated concepts for a modern world. On the other hand, we need to learn to empathize instead of blaming children for our daily stress or placing all responsibility on one or the other parent.

Problem:
Data from 2010 shows that only 2.7% of men took parental leave, although men’s leave was not the same in all Member States (European Parliamentary Research Service Briefing). Regarding gender, young women are more likely than men to be NEETs. Interpretation of statistical odds shows that young European women are 62% more likely than men to be NEETs due to family responsibilities (Origins and future of the NEET concept on the European policy agenda).

During discussion sessions with young people in need of guidance from our organizations, we focus on their concerns about the near future. The two main issues are education and parenthood. Almost half of them stated that they do not feel prepared for parenthood. Literature analysis shows that European schools do not provide education on the subject at any level of school education (https://bit.ly/3GHBmOj). Furthermore, there is almost no trend to address the problems of these young people in local communities outside of school.

Solution:
1. Empower young people with egalitarian parenting skills
The future of the family, and therefore humanity, is in the hands of parents. Children raised in a balanced environment will make society as a whole brighter. Before becoming adults, young people need to be prepared; therefore, they must understand how to be parents. We can achieve this by dismantling gender stereotypes and educating young people about culturally influenced parenthood, beliefs, and heritage.

2. Provide training to young people and students on gender equality
In many countries, gender equality is not taught in schools. However, even if they are interested, some individuals will not learn about it after high school. Education of young people about gender equality is essential. It will have a long-term influence on how they think about women’s rights, domestic violence, and other issues related to gender inequality.

The target group of this project is Young Adults (18+) and Youth Workers.

Project Approach:
Based on the evidence presented, our intervention approach for the target group will be:
– Analysis and selection of good practices for egalitarian parenting processes across Europe
– Creation of an educational manual on parenting
– Preparation of training program for youth workers
– Implementation of a training program in all partner countries (local workshops)
– Digitization of the youth workers’ training program into an Online Educational Resource
– Development of an e-learning educational resource
– Creating an awareness of equality in parenting and promoting it through the use of creative problem-solving videos.

Conclusion:
It is vital to equip young people with egalitarian parenting skills. The future of the family, and therefore humanity, is in the hands of parents. Children raised in a balanced environment will make society as a whole brighter. We can achieve this through training to dismantle gender stereotypes and educate young people about culturally influenced parenthood, beliefs, and heritage.