Evaluation report

Parents’ Attitudes About Gender Roles In Caregiving And Practices: Perspectives From A Community-Led Parenting Empowerment Program In Rural Kenya And Zambia

Kenneth Okelo, Silas Onyango, Dawn E. Murdock, Kaylie Cordingley, Kelvin Munsongo et al. · 18 Nov 2021

Summary

Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001

This study evaluated a community-led parenting empowerment program called Moments That Matter in rural Kenya and Zambia. The program aimed to improve nurturing care for children under three years old by engaging both mothers and fathers. After 24 months, the program successfully shifted attitudes toward more gender-equal parenting roles, with fathers becoming more actively involved in caregiving and responsive interactions with young children. The findings suggest that targeted parenting programs can meaningfully change how parents, particularly fathers, view and practice their caregiving responsibilities.

Key points

The Moments That Matter Program resulted in improved gender-equal parenting attitudes among both mothers and fathers
Fathers showed increased active involvement in parenting and caregiving activities after program participation
The program addressed a gap in research about fathers' roles in nurturing care and early learning stimulation for children under three in sub-Saharan Africa
Data were collected at three time points (baseline, midline, and endline) over 24 months
Program implementers included ECD Promoters, faith leaders, and government officials working in rural communities

Limitations

The document does not specify sample sizes, the specific parenting practices measured, or provide quantitative outcome data. Without seeing the full results, it is unclear how large the changes were or whether effects were sustained after program completion.

Abstract

Abstract Background: This study was part of a project funded by the Hilton Foundation in partnership with Episcopal Relief and Development to conduct implementation research in rural communities in Kenya and Zambia. This involves testing the feasibility and effectiveness of community-based parenting empowerment in improving nurturing care of young children in rural communities in Zambia and Kenya. Few studies have investigated fathers’ roles in nurturing care of young children (birth-age to 3), particularly responsive care and stimulation (i.e. providing opportunities for early learning) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Fathers are often perceived to be mainly responsible for the provision of the family's economic needs. However, past studies have demonstrated that fathers’ involvement in parenting has great significance for the child’s holistic growth and development.Methods: Qualitative interviews and discussions with caregivers (primary caregivers and secondary caregivers) with children below three years, program volunteers (ECD Promoters and faith leaders), Moments That Matter Program implementers and government officials involved in the program implementation. The study reported in this paper aimed to establish the effects of the parenting empowerment program on more gender-equal attitudes about gender roles in parenting and actual caregiving practices by fathers (who are not the primary caregivers), after participating in the Moments That Matter (MTM) Program in Kenya and Zambia for 24 months. Qualitative data were collected at three-time points (baseline, midline and endline). Results: The findings show that the MTM Program resulted in improved gender-equal parenting attitudes and practices among mothers/other primary caregivers and fathers. Study participants reported that most fathers were actively involved in parenting and caregiving due to their participation in the MTM Program. Conclusion: The study findings provide evidence that targeted parenting programs can influence changes in perceived gender roles in parenting.

Findings the Hub has extracted

Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.

DevelopmentProtectionParticipation

KEZM

Problem

Fathers have limited involvement in nurturing care and responsive stimulation of young children (birth to age 3) in rural sub-Saharan African communities, with caregiving often seen as solely mothers' responsibility

Intervention: Moments That Matter (MTM) Program: a community-led parenting empowerment program delivered by ECD Promoters and faith leaders that engages both mothers and fathers to promote gender-equal attitudes and practices in caregiving
Population: Primary caregivers (mothers) and secondary caregivers (fathers) of children under three years old in rural Kenya and Zambia, plus program volunteers and government officials