Redistribute
What’s the issue?
Key to addressing the uneven workload of unpaid care that women take on is to redistribute it more equitably between households, the state, businesses, communities and between genders. Families in which care work is shared more equally between men and women experience better outcomes in terms of child development, relationship satisfaction, overall family happiness, lower levels of violence, and higher levels of gender equality in communities.
The strategies already described in the ‘Reduce’ section can be equally applied to the ‘Redistribute’, for local governments to take on more care responsibilities through public service provision.A major barrier to the redistribution of care work between men and women is theprescriptive nature of gendered social norms. Addressing stereotypes and stigmas around men’s role in care work, and encouraging men’s active involvement, is critical for the more equitable distribution of care in our societies.
One way that city and metropolitan governments can foster more equitable redistribution of unpaid care work and domestic responsibilities is through implementing family-friendly policies that enable flexible work environments.
Parental leave
Implementing gender-responsive, equal, paid and non-transferable parental leave for all parents. While local governments may not have mandates to influence private-sector labour laws, cities are major employers and can set an example through their own practices and policies. Parental leave policies that provide women with significantly more leave than men reinforce the belief that women must be the primary caregivers, and that men’s roles as caregivers are less important. In contrast, by ensuring equitable parental leave, a city can recognise the critical role of communities in child-rearing, and providing an enabling environment for this. Some activities local governments can undertake include running sensitisation trainings with managers on the importance of non-transferable and equitable parental leave.
Work cultures which centre care
Promoting family-friendly workplaces which promote work-life balance is another way local governments can support the redistribution of care. This can include remote and hybrid working which accounts for the need for flexibility that many caregivers have, to breastfeeding facilities and childcare spaces in workplaces, carers’ leave, medical leave, promoting healthy work-life balance and mental health awareness. In informal settings, cash transfers and vouchers can support unpaid caregivers, and childcare centres can be set up to support informal vendors’ work.
Breastfeeding stations, São Paulo (Brazil)
The Municipal Management Secretariat of the City of São Paulo (SEGES), has designed and developed the “Pontos de Afeto” Project, in support of breastfeeding municipal employees. It offers private spaces for milk extraction and storage to employees returning from maternity leave, thus offering a more conducive and enabling environment for care-related activities in the workplace.
Gender norms that prescribe rigid roles for men and women compel individuals to conform to ideals that may not align with their aspirations or abilities, limiting their potential and opportunities.
These social norms are rooted in cultural and historical stereotypes rather than biological reality, and they perpetuate the belief that care is ‘a woman’s job’. Yet rather than something inherent, from a young age, girls are socialised to be caregivers, while boys are commonly not taught to do domestic and care-related tasks. Teaching boys and men how to care - for themselves and for others - is an essential step towards redistributing the, often invisible, labour of care work and fostering more healthy, violence-free societies.
Public awareness campaigns
Develop public service announcements and media campaigns, including through radio, TV and social media, that promote equitable relationships, highlight stories of men balancing career and caregiving responsibilities, and challenge gender stereotypes that confer narrow social roles to men and women. City governments can create and support media campaigns that portray men as caregivers, and care receivers.
'Maaate' campaign, London (United Kingdom)
Launched by the Mayor in 2023 encourages boys and men to speak out against sexist language and behaviour and misogynistic attitudes that perpetuate men’s violence against women. A similar campaign was developed in 2022, ‘Have A Word’, which called on men to reflect on their own attitudes and to intervene when friends behaved inappropriately towards women.
Trainings and emotional education
Local governments can implement programs, workshops and trainings, targeting boys and men, on emotional literacy, self-awareness, and non-violent communication. Community-based caregiving and domestic skills training programs can help reduce the stigma around men engaging in caregiving, giving them the tools and confidence to participate in these roles. Fatherhood programs in public centres can offer training on father-child bonding and promote fathers’ involvement from the prenatal period through to child-rearing activities.
Men’s care schools, Bogotá (Colombia)
The "Escuela de Hombres al Cuidado" promotes the elimination of harmful masculine behaviours by teaching men practical skills such as caregiving and emotional regulation. By fostering equitable household labour distribution and offering conflict resolution tools, the program helps prevent gender-based violence, including economic and psychological abuse.
Counselling, mentorship and support groups
Local governments can offer mental health support, hotlines and counselling services specifically tailored for men, focusing on navigating societal pressures, channelling anger and violent emotions, building emotional well-being, and promoting a healthy family life.
Men’s Forum, Ethekwini (South Africa)
The initiative seeks to formalise responses to men’s violence against women at the ward level and instil the values of human dignity, equality and respect in young men and boys, in collaboration with civil society. It offers dialogues between men and women on the issues of gender-based violence and femicide; boys counselling sessions in schools; boys ambassadors programs; mentorship; and a Men Championing Change program.
Advocacy by men role models
Engage men in leadership roles —mayors, governors, directors, and public figures like athletes or celebrities—to champion men's role as equal caregivers. Run public campaigns and events that destigmatize care work for men and promote positive role models for boys and men. By encouraging men in public leadership roles to speak out against misogynistic behaviours and harmful stereotypes and actively participate in solutions, they can set an example for other boys and men.
Reduce
Reward