What does caregiving look like in 2026?
This global study from Equimundo brings together data from 8,000 mothers and fathers across 16 countries, offering one of the most comprehensive snapshots of caregiving today.
The findings are clear. Parents do not have the time, resources, or support to care for their families without constant strain.
Economic insecurity is the dominant pressure. Affordability is a daily concern. At the same time, many parents are navigating fears about their children’s lives online.
This is not only about parents. It reflects the conditions shaping how care happens across society, including for those supporting aging parents and others in need of care.
For fathers, the pressure is particularly acute. The expectation to provide is becoming increasingly difficult to meet. While many want to take on a greater role in caregiving, work and economic realities often prevent them from doing so.
What emerges is a perfect storm around care.
Parents report that governments, employers, and institutions are failing to meet the moment. Care continues to be undervalued and underinvested in, despite its central role in our lives.
When care systems fail, the impact is wide-reaching. It affects wellbeing, equality, and social stability.
This report makes a clear case. Care must be placed at the center of economic and social systems, not at the margins.
Read the full report: bit.ly/eSOWF2026
#Equimundo #CareWork #eSOWF2026 #GenderEquality #Parenting
Welcome back to Monitoring the Situation, April edition where we break down what is going on in male dominated online spaces right now.
What patterns are you noticing that people are not talking about yet?
#digitalculture #internetculture #socialanalysis #equimundo
Our vision for 2026 is care.
In a year marked by repression and rising authoritarianism, we also witnessed something powerful: men choosing compassion, softness, and fluidity as forms of resistance.
We spent time over the break reflecting on the many shapes and sizes that masculinities take form in our lives. What kept standing out to us is the essential human traits of care and compassion.
Care is not gendered. It is not weak. It is core to our humanity.
We’re committed to building futures rooted in tenderness, responsibility, and care.
How did you practice care over the holidays?
#CareIsResistance #Manhood #MasculinityThroughCare #VisionFor2026 #FutureIsCare ExpansiveMasculinity TendernessIsPower
“None of us can solve these issues on our own.”
That’s the spirit behind the MenCare Changemaker Journey 🌍
Bringing together artists, educators, policymakers, researchers and activists from across the world to tackle some of the biggest challenges around masculinity, care and gender equality – collectively.
Hope feels a lot more possible when it’s shared ✨
Todo mundo está convidado para o Festival Masculinidades, dia 29 de maio!
Conversas importantes, desafiadoras, mas também com muita diversão. Uma programação cheia de música, diálogos e oficinas, pra gente pensar cuidado juntos, e imaginar novos caminhos para um futuro mais seguro e justo para todos
Garanta seu ingresso gratuito no Sympla ou retire no dia. A gente se encontra lá!
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Everyone is invited to the Boys and Men Festival on 29 May!
Important conversations. Challenging ones. And plenty of joy too. A programme filled with music, talks and workshops, to help us think about care together, and imagine new paths towards a safer, fairer future, in Brazil and beyond.
Get your free ticket on Sympla or pick it up on the day. See you there!
Meet the Changemakers!
The Changemakers collaborate across eight action tracks, each focused on a critical area for change.
This is the Boys & Education track.
Educational environments play a critical role in shaping how boys understand themselves, their relationships, and their place in the world. Yet many education systems continue to struggle with how to respond to boys’ gendered experiences, patterns of underachievement, and changing social realities.
This track brings together educators, researchers, policymakers, advocates, and cultural leaders working to create learning environments where boys are supported to reach their full potential academically, emotionally, and socially. The group is focused on developing strategies that encourage empathy, emotional literacy, healthy relationships, and broader opportunities for boys across all areas of life.
Changemakers in this track are working to engage the institutions and stakeholders that shape education and training systems, from schools and universities to governments and media. Together, they are exploring how boys are taught, the expectations placed on them, the career pathways presented to them, and the messages they receive throughout their education.
What changes do you think education systems need to better support boys, while also advancing empathy, equality, and wellbeing?
#MenCare #MenCareChangemakers #BoysAndEducation #GenderEquality #Education
Meet the Changemakers!
The Changemakers collaborate across eight action tracks, each focused on a critical area for change.
This is the Caring Manhood in Cities & Regions track.
Cities and regions play a major role in shaping daily life, access to care, safety, and community wellbeing. Because local governments are often responsible for delivering public services to individuals and families, they have significant influence over how caregiving is supported and how inclusive communities are built.
This track brings together city leaders, policymakers, researchers, and advocates working on solutions that support caregiving, engage men as caregivers, prevent violence, and strengthen community connection. The group is exploring how public spaces, transport systems, housing, urban planning, and local services can be designed to better support care and create safer, more equitable environments for everyone.
What would make your city or community more supportive of caregiving, safety, and connection?
#MenCare #MenCareChangemakers #CaringManhood #GenderEquality #Urban
Fathers care about care.
Across countries, across contexts, mothers and fathers say the same thing. Care is not just a responsibility. It is a source of meaning, connection, and joy.
91% of fathers say caring for their children or loved ones is one of the most enjoyable parts of their lives. This has not changed, even as financial pressure and instability have increased.
There are also signs of progress. Most parents agree that men today are more involved in care than previous generations, and that men who share care equally are better partners.
But progress is not the same as equity.
Mothers still carry more of the daily, hands on work. The mental load remains uneven. And there is still no country where care is shared equally.
Read the full report: bit.ly/eSOWF2026
#Equimundo #CareWork #eSOWF2026 #GenderEquality #parenting
“How could your life be purposeless when you mean so much to me?”
We absolutely loved Sam Browne's performance at An Evening with Jordan Stephens and friends last year and we're so excited that he'll be joining us again in Rio.
Sam will be joining the Power of Story action track at the MenCare Changemaker Summit as we work with artists from the UK and Brazil to shape a global festival methodology for creating events and festivals focused on Boys and Men; one that can invite wide participation, discussion and share ideas across borders.
Plus he'll be performing at the Boys and Men Festival Rio 🇧🇷
Because sometimes change starts with simply telling someone they matter.
“Ultimately we’re trying to find a sense of balance within ourselves and within our communities – and that can only happen through connection.”
We’re so excited that Jordan Stephens will be joining us in Rio as part of the MenCare Changemaker Summit and speaking at the WOW Boys and Men Festival Rio 🇧🇷
At our event last year, Jordan spoke about why gender equality benefits everyone – and why connection, care and balance are essential if we want healthier communities and healthier ways of being.
Through the Power of Story action track, artists from the UK and Brazil will come together to shape a global festival methodology for creating events focused on Boys and Men – opening up space for conversation, creativity and change across borders.
“Care is the antidote to violence.”
Equimundo's Deputy CEO Giovanna Lauro on what it means to “flip the script” around masculinity.
For decades, we’ve talked about engaging men and boys in gender equality. But this work is also about showing what’s possible for men and boys: more connection, more care, more freedom to be fully human.
As we gear up for the MenCare Changemaker Summit in Rio this month, we're looking forward to sharing these conversations with changemakers from all over the world, and the Brazilian public at the Boys and Men Festival Rio 🌎✨
@equimundo_org@mapearinstituto@papodehomem@redesdamare
Meet the Changemakers!
The Changemakers collaborate across eight action tracks, each focused on a critical area for change.
This is the Caring Manhood in Workplaces track.
Workplaces play a major role in shaping gender equality, care policies, and ideas about masculinity. From hiring practices and parental leave to workplace culture and leadership, institutions influence how men engage with caregiving, wellbeing, and equality both at work and at home.
This track brings together leaders from business, philanthropy, policy, finance, and global advocacy to identify solutions that support healthier workplace cultures, strengthen care policies, and engage companies, unions, and governments in advancing gender equality. The group is also exploring how emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and automation, are reshaping work and impacting care, wellbeing, and opportunity.
What changes do you think workplaces still need to make to better support care, equality, and healthier models of manhood?
#MenCare #MenCareChangemakers #CaringManhood #GenderEquality #FutureOfWork
