State of the Zimbabwe’s Fathers Report

SAfAIDS, Sonke Gender Justice, and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) aim to enhance knowledge and awareness about unpaid care work and its connection to gender-based violence in Zimbabwe and Southern Africa. An independent consultancy firm, Anokha Consulting, was commissioned by the consortium to conduct the ‘State of Fathers’ Report’ in Zimbabwe.

The key objectives of the State of Fathers Report, focusing on unpaid care work, are as follows:

• To assess the perceptions, beliefs, behaviour and attitudes of fathers towards unpaid care work in Zimbabwe;
• To determine the extent to which unpaid care work is contributing to GBV including IPV and gender inequality;
• To determine extent to which GBV, and gender equality policies and related frameworks are influencing gender norms and;
• To generate findings that will be used to develop and strengthen interventions, inform policy development, promote gender equality, and assist in quantifying the economic value of unpaid care work.

The research employed a mixed-method approach, combining both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. The study embraced a consultative and participatory process, involving regular meetings, emails, and calls with Sonke Gender Justice, SAfAIDS, and implementing partners at the district level. Additionally, the study incorporated a validation workshop, which informed the process of strengthening and validating the study’s findings. It fostered multi-level stakeholder engagement, spanning global, regional, national, sub-national (including Bulawayo, Manicaland, Mashonaland East, and Matebeleland North), and community levels in the districts of Bulawayo, Mutare, Seke/Chitungwiza, and Hwange. The researchers conducted 45 Key Informant interviews, 15 FGDs (with 160 respondents), and 697 one-on-one questionnaires (of which 403 were males, representing 57.8%, and 294 were females, representing 42.2%).