November 19th  is International Men’s Day: Perceptions of Fatherhood in Armenia

On November 19, many countries around the world celebrate International Men’s Day (IMD). The author of the idea was Dr. Jerome Tiluksingh of West-Indiana University, who chose November 19 as his father was born that day. According to the author of the celebration, this day gives an opportunity to show the role of a man in the society and in bringing up children, what achievements he has and can still have. The first time this day was celebrated in 1999. Later on, this day began in Australia, in the Caribbean, in North America and in a number of European and Asian countries.

The main purpose of the International Men’s Day is to draw public attention to the issue of gender inequality, revealing discrimination against men, particularly in health care, family law, and education.

The best answers to these questions throughout the world are the research on issues of masculinity. In Armenia such research was first conducted by the United Nations Population Fund in 2016. Sociological research “Men and Gender Equality Problems in Armenia” was conducted by IMAGES international methodology, which has been applied in different countries of the world and adapted to Armenia’s reality and peculiarities.

It is a comprehensive study of men’s experiences and attitudes that include gender norms, attitude towards gender equality, distribution of home responsibilities, including child care and men as their fathers’ involvement, domestic violence, sexual and reproductive health, stress, satisfaction with marital life and other issues that have not been studied before.

An important aspect is the involvement of a father as a parent in child care. A number of historic and sociological surveys and time budget studies show that during the last century, paternity guidelines and experiences are constantly changing. Fathers are increasingly involved in child care and education.

– Different psychological research confirms that “paternity, as it is known, is a complex and unique phenomenon that has a significant impact on the sensual and intellectual growth of children. The father, as a male parent, has a unique contribution to parental care. Likewise, as a mother has a unique effect on her child’s life and development. This difference, in turn, gives the children a broader and richer experience of countervailing contacts than children who have grown up by only one parent.