Men encouraged to step up in caregiving roles

A campaign to get Barbadian men involved in caregiving in the home as well as showing more interest in the caregiving sector was recently launched by the Bureau of Gender Affairs. It is the Share the Care Campaign, a three-month initiative, aimed at seeing more males supporting their female counterparts on the island.

The launch in the Courtyard at the Warrens Office Complex, Warrens, St Michael was addressed by several men. Among these was Permanent Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, Mark Franklin, who addressed the gathering on behalf of Minister Kirk Humphrey.

He noted the ministry was charged with providing social protection to the country’s most vulnerable populations, such as the elderly, at-risk children, and persons with disabilities, but these populations require significant levels of care. PS Franklin said the Ministry stands ready to play its part but it recognises these efforts must also be supported by care in the homes and communities..

He lamented that for too long, the burden of caregiving and caregiving responsibilities remained disproportionately with women, and as a result, women were often forced to balance work obligations with domestic responsibilities and caregiving.

“This can lead to stressful conditions, which can make them more susceptible to not only chronic fatigue and non-communicable diseases, but it can also negatively affect their mental health, through increased incidences of depression and anxiety,” he pointed out.

Those gathered were reminded that Barbados’ population was rapidly ageing, with the last census of 2021 showing that over 60 per cent was over 35 years old; more than 25 per cent of the Barbadian population was over age 60; and by 2050, approximately one-half of the population would be over 65 years old.

Stressing that this had serious implications for caregiving on a national scale, and domestic responsibilities in the home, Franklin remarked: “There is a worrying trend of under-representation of males in the caregiving sectors, especially in the crucial area of nursing. Though at a glance it may seem obvious that the under-representation of males could in theory be addressed by increasing caregiving training, the reality is that at present, men are not taking up these opportunities in the numbers that we would wish!”

He used the example of the Care for the Elderly course, run by the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment. Pointing out that it had not attracted a significant number of males, he said the last course held in the last financial year attracted one male participant.

And, he stressed: “Efforts must therefore be made to reach out to young males via the media, to inform them that caregiving is a noble and distinguished career that is worthy of consideration.” 

The Permanent Secretary also referred to the government’s One Family Programme, which consists predominantly of female single-headed households.  

“We often speak to single-headed households in terms of females and the challenges encountered by these households such as poverty, unemployment, and vulnerability. We would wish to point out that there are also male single-headed households, both within and outside of the One Family Programme. These households are also deserving of support and recognition.”

Noting that the government and the ministry remain cognisant of the issues to be addressed for caregiving, he outlined two avenues already taken.

He said the government had endorsed the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal Indicator 5.4, which speaks to unpaid care and the promotion of domestic responsibilities as a priority area for work, and there was the implementation of paternity legislation in June 2025. The latter, he stated, would ensure fathers provide support to their partners during pregnancy and early childbirth. “This will lend immensely to fathers bonding with their children from birth,” the PS stated.

In terms of the elderly, Franklin disclosed that the ministry, through provisions in the Older Persons Protection Bill, had proposed heightened standards of care for the island’s “treasured seniors and the highest level of care in the nursing homes and other institutions that cater to the elderly”.

He described the Share the Care Campaign as “another timely initiative”, representing “a clear signal of the Ministry’s commitment to promoting, encouraging, and supporting men’s greater involvement in caregiving and domestic responsibilities”.

Acknowledging that in recent times, men were seen actively playing roles in the lives of their children, he added: “This is exemplified by the number of males taking their children to school and also to medical institutions. These types of acts should be further encouraged, whenever we see them taking place.”

Director of the Bureau of Gender Affairs, William Warner, said the next three months will see the campaign promoting positive images of male caregiving and domestic responsibilities. He said it also aims to promote cultural acceptance of shared parental and household duties through community engagement, while highlighting the challenges and joys of fatherhood.

“We understand that cultural acceptance will not happen in two months or two years, even, but campaigns such as this will open up a level of awareness and generate much needed discussion on the issue of caregiving and domestic responsibility,” he remarked.

Director Warner added that the Bureau would be working in collaboration with several partners and stakeholders to roll out a number of related initiatives, and it would also be seeking to engage some of the country’s young fathers “as a necessary intervention at this time”.

The team from the Bureau of Gender Affairs: (From left) Juliette Hinds, secretary; clerical assistant, Shannya Lashley; programme officer Laura Burnett; administrative assistant Cassandra Cox; and director William Warner. (BGIS)

Fabian Sargeant, a father of two young boys, related how he had always made it his duty to accompany his pregnant wife on every occasion to the doctor and to be present in his children’s life.

The 41-year-old stressed this was something he “held fast to and thought it was his responsibility”. 

“I was there from the first visit and even all the other visits. I’ve been there 100 per cent. I think even when both of my sons were born, I had to take all of my vacation, in both instances, to be at home to assist,” said Sargeant, who is also Executive Director of the Men Empowerment Network Support.

As he talked about his children’s educational journey – one at Harrison College and the other at St Gabriel’s – and the emphasis the family placed on religion and being present in their school life, he added: “I think it is extremely important that I play a major part. You know, from the time, I guess, she was pregnant with the first son, we decided that we had to build a home together and that’s exactly what we did. And from then on, I’ve always been there to support, to be there for them, and I guess I have a vision for them and know where it is I want them to go. So, as a man, as a father, you know, it is very critical that I understand that.”

Sharing his thoughts on the ministry’s campaign and how men could become involved, Sargeant exclaimed: “I think it is an excellent initiative! I really think that it would encourage men. We have to change the narrative where men and fatherhood are concerned. And, what the campaign does is that it pretty much brings the spotlight on that.

“But we must also understand that men like myself, have always been there ‘sharing the care’. So, it is not something foreign or alien. However, what I believe the campaign should do is really magnify those fathers who are sharing the care but also encourage those new fathers or those fathers out there, who may be struggling to try.”

Sargeant pointed out he didn’t want the campaign to seem to be painting the picture that men generally don’t “share the care”. “I know there are a lot of men out there who are sharing the care, but I also accept that there are a lot of men who need to step up as it relates to sharing the care, so I think it’s an excellent campaign and it has my full support,” he stressed. 

(BGIS)