The role of men in families: achieving gender equity and supporting children.

Fathers and men in families are one of the most important resources for children's well-being. UNICEF, the Ford Foundation, Save the Children, other nongovernmental organizations, and resolutions from the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development have all recommended efforts to involve men in reproductive health programs. However, despite this interest and recommendations, social service and health programs, as well as development interventions, continue to target mothers and children, ignoring the major role of men in the lives of children and families. Most development interventions focusing upon family well-being have stressed the importance of the mother/child relationship, even in societies in which the father controls decisions about the household and family welfare. The author surveys program initiatives, conferences, research, and publications concerned with the role of men in the family.