What happens when male statues become fathers for a day? A creative campaign in Sweden is challenging traditional norms about parenting roles.
Imagine a bronze statue of a stoic leader, now wearing a bright pink baby sling with a doll nestled inside. On International Men’s Day, November 19th, male statues across Sweden were adorned with baby slings and carriers as part of a unique campaign to spotlight unequal parenting responsibilities.
Traditionally representing power, labor, or other masculine attributes, these statues were reimagined to symbolize fathers as caregivers. The campaign, organized by the think tank Arena Idé, is part of the #kvantitetstidspappan initiative, aimed at encouraging fathers to spend more time with their children and urging employers to play a larger role in enabling this.
Despite Sweden’s globally recognized parental leave policies, significant disparities remain. Swedish fathers take only 30.9% of parental leave days and 38% of sick leave to care for children.
A recent Novus survey, conducted in collaboration with Make Equal, further reveals that expectations around parental leave remain unequal in Swedish workplaces. Through this campaign, Arena Idé hopes to challenge these norms and has proposed an employer bonus for workplaces that encourage an equal division of parental leave.
The statues involved in the campaign—such as Standing Man in Umeå, Det svenska tungsinnet in Malmö, and Hjalmar Branting in Stockholm—were decorated with dolls in baby slings and carriers.
This created a contrast between the statues’ traditional symbolism and the modern role of engaged fathers.
The initiative draws inspiration from the UK-based group The Dad Shift, which earlier this year launched a similar campaign highlighting gaps in Britain’s parental leave policies.
Vilgot Österlund, a statistician at Arena Idé, emphasizes the importance of changing workplace norms: “When discussing gender equality in workplaces, the focus is often on women and the negative consequences of inequality for them. But here, we see that men are also losing out on something invaluable—time with their children. Through the statue campaign, the new statistics, and our proposals, we hope to make this clearer!”
Read more about the campaign and the proposed reforms in the original article by Arena Idé: Link to the original article.
More statues: 30 Sculptures You (probably) Didn’t Know Existed
How do you perceive the use of public art to challenge parenting norms? Can such initiatives drive societal change? We invite you to share your perspectives in the comments below.
Discover more from STREET ART UTOPIA
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
The concept of these are very good but would be more interesting if they had been holding real babies as I believe two were.
Es una propuesta creativa genial, muy visual, obviamente sin bebés reales, no hace falta q sean bebes reales, sería absurdo y peligroso e innecesario
Men have an innate job to provide and protect. Coming home beating their chest for what they have accomplished or done each day. It’s what they what appreciation for from their spouse. Women are the nurturers. That’s also innate to them as well. There are many cult’ures that have twisted these purposes. Women if you want a job, and kids, work it out. But if you’re resentful about working when you want to be with you kids, then be with your kids. Money will never take the place of Precious time, and memories with them.
A man saw a wholesome post about fathers and immediately got triggered, because apparently, the sight of a man holding a baby is too much for him. How absurd.
Where are the women, he asks. With you lot, it’s always “women this, women that.” And then you wonder why nobody takes you seriously anymore.
“Innate ability”? Please. Just admit you want to twist biology to suit your own preferences. Nature is vast, complex, and indifferent. It’s not going to bend itself to your little fantasies and fragile notions.
[…] When Statues Become Fathers : Creative Street Art on Equal Parenting (streetartutopia.com) […]
Siempre cuidar a la madre con su/s hijxs, y q las propuestas faciliten y ayuden en su maternidad y vinculos en la crianza.
Quien quiera trabjar seguir manteniendo otro trabjo realizador por cuenta propia o ajena, q tenga todos los recursos para la conciliación.
Pero quien quiera ser madre en casa y no salir a desgastarse màs trabjando en trabajos d supervivencia, toda la sociedad desde el Estado, tiene q facilitarle la maternidad y no coaccionarla y extorsionarla ni acosarla para q haga otro trabajo, sino q se le facilite cuidar, no tiene q ni debe ser obligada a desarrollar otros trabajos, tiene q tener paz, sentirse segura, q haya salarios por maternidad, trabajos por horas y con conciliación para incorporarse si quiere, servicios de respiro accesibles universales y servicios de educ parental universales y no con estigma ni patologización ni problematización.
Stop moobing a las madres!
[…] Street art : Quand les statues deviennent pères (sur l’égalité […]
You threw that baby all the way out with that bathwater.
whataboutism.