Fathers at the Lower Rhine ("Väter am Niederrhein")
In times of skilled labor shortage, family friendliness becomes a crucial factor for employees. But who stays at home after childbirth? Only mothers... or perhaps not?
Recent studies show that more and more fathers aspire to take on more responsibility in the family, particularly in childcare. Half of the fathers would like to equally share childcare duties, but only one in five fathers actually does so. Desire and reality are still too far apart.
But what are the reasons behind it?
Often, there is a lack of role models showing how it can work.
Eleven such role models participated in "Fathers at the Lower Rhine," a joint project involving students, the Equal Opportunities Office of Rhine-Waal University, the equality offices of the cities of Kleve and Kamp-Lintfort, and the Women and Work Office of the Wesel district. The regional project was supported and funded by the supporting associations of Rhine-Waal University.
The goal of the developed exhibition series is to increase the visibility of regional fathers in caregiving work and to inspire and inform families and companies on how a fair distribution of everyday life can look like. Care work refers to household chores, childcare, and caring for relatives in a family context.
As part of the student project, structured interviews were conducted with the fathers. The personal conversations were marked by emotional memories and stories about the children's upbringing, as well as structural obstacles and everyday difficulties in planning a fair distribution of family tasks, continuing despite setbacks, and repeatedly negotiating and dividing responsibilities in a partnership context while taking into account changing environmental conditions.
The collected data were transcribed and analyzed. From the diverse material and provided images, the students created personal portraits. These were printed on six double-sided roll-up banners and will be exhibited in regional institutions and companies as part of a traveling exhibition. The language of the exhibition is German.
The project will have its final kick-off event on April 10, 2024, starting at 5 p.m. in the foyer of Lecture Hall Building 1 at Rhine-Waal University in Kamp-Lintfort.
Are you interested? Then please get in touch directly with the responsible contact person:
Hochschule Rhein-Waal
Gleichstellung der Fakultät Kommunikation und Umwelt
Hochschule Rhein-Waal