The main objective of the project NEW FACES is to encourage fathers to take parental leave through provision of information on parental leave for fathers and by organising workshops for fathers. We will collect the experiences of the project in a so-called guidance book to be used by relevant officers at the local level across Europe.

Thus the long-term goal is that fathers will make use of their right to take parental leave. The short-term goal is to encourage cities and towns to be a facilitator of the rights fathers have to take parental leave. The local level is indeed most appropriate to campaign for men taking existing fatherhood opportunities. It is also the level where European and national regulations and the different provisions and services have to be combined in adequate conciliation policies. Encouraging more men to take parental leave not only gives the father a great possibility to spend time with the child while it is a baby, it also gives the mother a chance to get (back) into the labour market. It would be easier for women to have an active professional career.

Thus to promote the use of parental and paternity leave will have a positive influence on the reconciliation of working life with family life. In NEW FACES, active fatherhood creates more gender equality for women but it also promotes more equality for men, in the sense that they will be able to enter the otherwise female dominated area of taking care of small children.

Lead partner: EUROCITIES, the network of major European cities. The network brings together the local governments of more than 120 cities in over 30 European countries. In the Social Affairs field, EUROCITIES and its members are committed to tackling the causes of social exclusion, eradicating all forms of discrimination and ensuring equal opportunities for all.

Partner: Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), Regional Social Welfare Resource Centre (BSZF, Budapest), City of Aarhus, City of Bologna, City of Gijon, City of Rome, City of Trento, Cultura Animi Foundation (Sofia), ISAI (Finland), Strategy Transnational- Chemnitz, University of Trento, VbFF- Chemnitz, The Verwey- Jonker Institute.

Researchers: Barbara Poggio, Annalisa Murgia
Period: 2005-2006
Funding: with support from the European Community - Programme relating to the Community Framework Strategy on Gender Equality (2001-2005)

6 October 2006, Seminario: "New FAtherhood Concepts in European citieS. Incontro per i nuovi papà", Sala Stampa, Palazzo Geremia, Trento.

With support from

• The European Community – Programme relating to the Community Framework Strategy on Gender Equality (2001–2005).
  The information contained in this publication (or in other materials) does not necessarily reflect the position or opinion of the European Commission.
• Eurocities
• NewFaces