The girl dads promoting change through positive parenting
Meet Leiver, Kevin and Marco. Three girl dads in Ecuador challenging harmful stereotypes and creating fairer futures for their daughters.
Here’s an uncomfortable truth. At the current pace, women and girls will not see gender equality achieved in their lifetime.[1]
Every day, girls are born into conditions they didn’t choose. A world where deeply embedded gender inequality leads to limits on their education, unequal pay, a disproportionate share of unpaid labour, exposure to harassment and violence, and restrictions on their bodies.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. Together we’re changing the conditions for girls worldwide.
See it firsthand in Ecuador, where a project with fathers to challenge harmful norms is creating a fairer future for girls.
Positive parenthood: progress for gender equality in Ecuador
In Ecuador, traditional gender roles and stereotypes have long shaped family life. Women often take on a disproportionate share of childcare and domestic responsibilities. Why? Because society has gendered expectations and pressures about what a woman should – or shouldn’t – do. These expectations don’t just affect women – they also limit what girls can grow up to become. And they harm boys and men too. Outdated ideas about masculinity stop them from enjoying opportunities. Like what it means to be a father.
Plan International runs a project for dads that recognises the important influence men have at home, with their children and in their communities. It challenges negative stereotypes and promotes active and affectionate fatherhood. And helps break down long-held patterns in society, changing the conditions for girls.
Because positive parenthood means stronger family bonds, reduced stress and violence-free homes for everyone.
Through workshops and events, men learn how to share childcare, support maternal health and create fairer, safer homes. They also explore how gender equality benefits everyone: opening up brighter futures for their daughters, easing pressure on men to live up to rigid ideas of masculinity, and giving mums back time, choice and independence.
Kevin: sharing parenting and raising children with love
Kevin, 30, lives in a beachside village. A father to an 11-year-old daughter, a three-year-old son and a three-month-old baby girl, he treasures his family time after work.
Through participating in Plan International's programmes, Kevin learnt about positive parenting, nutrition and prenatal care. He even received food kits to support his children's growth:
“Since participating in Plan's parenting activities, I have realised that parenting is about sharing and raising children with love. Since my children were born, my heart has been filled with love and affection.”
Kevin shares all the daily tasks equally, from feeding to playtime. Children who grow up seeing their parents sharing caregiving responsibilities are more likely to grow up doing the same. Gone are the outdated ideas about fatherhood. Kevin sits with his children, teaching them respect and honesty.
"A father’s love and presence are the greatest gift a child can receive. It's important to sit down with our daughters and sons and explain why they should behave in a certain way.”
Leiver: “A good father is there from the beginning”
Leiver is an enthusiastic new girl dad. His baby daughter has already taught him a lot about life. For Leiver, the most important thing about being a father is seeing his children grow up healthy:
“I have learned that affection and love are found in every activity you do with your baby, whether it be feeding, which is primarily breast milk directly from the mother, or care and development.
“I have been there from the beginning. A father who cares for, plays with and learns alongside his daughter is a good father.”
Marco: being present, not just providing
Twenty-six-year-old Marco says that fatherhood is about more than just providing for his family:
“Being a present father means more than just working. It means spending time with my daughter, holding her in my arms and feeling her warmth. It means spending time with my wife and sharing moments with them at home.”
Taking part in Plan International’s programmes has helped Marco to fully appreciate his role as a father:
“Spending time with my daughter makes me feel proud. These are moments that will never be repeated, and a bond is forming between us that will continue to grow. A caring father values and enjoys spending time with his daughter.”
The plan is still on: until we are all equal
Girl dads like Leiver, Kevin and Marco show how men can play a positive role in accelerating change – when they’re given the space, tools and encouragement to do so.
By stepping up and breaking past cycles, they’re creating safer fairer, more equal homes – and societies. Showing that when we act together – families, communities, girls and boys – we all have a stake in re-writing the conditions that hold girls back.
Join Plan International UK and together we can change the conditions girls are born into. Until we are all equal.
References
[1] Global Gender Gap Report 2025: Progress despite uncertainty - World Economic Forum