Teaching Fathers to Embrace Caregiving

Bogotá’s Care School for Men teaches everything from changing a diaper to taking care of a home.

In Bogotá, Colombia, a unique and groundbreaking initiative is taking place. The city’s Care School for Men is an innovative program designed to teach men the skills needed to care for their families, including childcare, housework, and emotional support.

Addressing Gender Inequality

Bogotá’s Care School for Men aims to tackle gender inequality head-on. In Bogotá, women spend more than five and a half hours on unpaid work daily, twice as much as men. This unequal distribution of labor limits women’s opportunities for education, work, and self-care, contributing to higher rates of female poverty, as highlighted in a study published in the Journal of Global Health.

The city project, launched in 2021, responded to numerous calls received during the pandemic from men expressing frustration over their lack of caregiving skills after their spouses became ill or died. City officials also saw this as an opportunity to combat Colombia’s entrenched machismo culture by encouraging men to take on their fair share of caregiving and housework.

The School’s Impact

The Care School has shown promising results. Participants, like Sergio Rivera, have begun to change their beliefs about gender roles. “My mother worked so hard bringing me up and providing for me,” Rivera said. “But it shouldn’t just be left for women to do. Us men have to play our part.”

The program consists of 24 modules covering home care (such as washing and repairing clothing), caring for newborns, pregnant women, and the elderly, and addressing emotional issues like anger management. Pop-up classes teach practical skills like baby diapering and hair care.

Redefining Masculinity

One key aspect of the program is redefining caregiving as a masculine activity. Participants include groups like bus drivers, who traditionally have high rates of frustration and anger issues. Through therapeutic and conversational approaches, the program helps men process their emotions and learn to care in a non-invasive, disciplined manner.

William Boye, a 31-year-old driver, shared his experience: “I lost my grandmother 15 years ago. I still feel the pain. But the problem is the stigmatization of society. We’re not supposed to show our emotions. We can’t speak about them.”

Omar Jimenez, a psychologist and teacher in the program, emphasizes the importance of listening to and conversing with men to help them process their emotions and change their caregiving approaches.

Growing Reach

Since its inception, 7,300 men have attended in-person classes, 50,000 have completed the online version, and 160,000 have viewed the city’s video series on caregiving. While these numbers are a small fraction of Bogotá’s population, the program is growing and has the potential to inspire similar initiatives worldwide, challenging the notion that caregiving is solely a woman’s responsibility.

Bogotá’s Care School for Men is proving that caregiving is a skill that can be learned and embraced by men, promoting gender equality and healthier family dynamics.