In Colombia, men attend classes to learn how to do housework

The Men’s Grooming School has a curriculum consisting of 24 modules

Vera Vita/Depositphotos

In the Colombian city of Bogotá, the School of Care for Men has been operating for three years – it is a project of the city council that promotes the involvement of men in housework and teaches caring in relationships.

The impetus for the implementation of such an initiative was numerous calls to the City Hall hotline during the COVID-19 pandemic. Men expressed massive frustration at not being able to take care of their families after the death or illness of loved ones, writes CNN.

The Men’s Grooming School has a curriculum consisting of 24 modules. It is designed for several months. Classes cover home, newborn, pregnant and elderly care skills, emotional care, and environmental care in the city.

Bogota residents learn to braid their hair, change diapers, and talk about their own experiences. The idea is to encourage men to be more supportive and considerate of their partners.

“Women are not born with the knowledge of how to care. They learn how to sweep, braid a child’s hair and change diapers. This is not a genetic problem, but a cultural one.”– says Juan Cortes, head of the Men’s Grooming School.

The effectiveness of the project is demonstrated by the successes of the School’s pupils. From the beginning of the training, Saenz, one of the students, started regularly cooking for his family. He also makes an effort to find time to spend with his children, even if he is exhausted after work.

“I’m trying to be a better father” he says.

According to the project team, about 400,000 people took part in the School of Care for Men.

Surveys of the mayor’s office, which were conducted before and after the start of the School, demonstrate changes in public attitudes toward homework.

The number of men who said they are fully responsible for household chores has doubled since 2021. In 2021, there were 10% of them, and already in 2023 – 20%.

Despite this, prejudice about the role of men and women in Bogotá remains widespread. A 2023 survey found that many men in the city still held stereotypical views of housework.

Earlier we wrote about the initiative exclude from the constitution of Ireland the provision on “the role of women in the family”.

Anna Kovalenko, “UP. Life”