MSPs support traditional values in an attempt to put fathers back in the family
Plan to get all four-year-olds on their bikes
FATHERS are to be given greater recognition for the crucial role they play in family life under new guidelines designed to boost traditional values.
An inquiry by a Holyrood committee found fathers are being increasingly marginalised, sparking fears they are often seen as ‘optional extras’.
The equal opportunities committee has drawn up a series of recommendations to reinstate fathers as a ‘crucial part of the family’.
They include presenting a more positive image of dads in school textbooks and calling on the NHS to do more to make parenting classes more accessible to men.
The committee also advised Ministers to write new guidance on how families are described in Scottish Government materials and to launch a public awareness campaign to get more men into teaching and childcare jobs.
The recommendations, which are likely to be accepted by
‘Men are often marginalised’
the Government, have been welcomed as a rare attempt by MSPs to endorse traditional family values.
The inquiry found men were often ‘marginalised’ in public materials about parenting and childcare, with one expert claiming they ‘exist on a spectrum from useless at best to, at worst, violent or abusive – in other words, a risk’.
It also heard some men were now worried about getting involved with children because of the perception that they must be up to no good.
The committee’s report said more needs to be done to ‘support the idea of fathers being involved in childbearing as being the norm’ – and criticised the current approach, where ‘parent is often taken to mean mother’.
Norman Wells, director of the Family Education Trust, said: ‘There is no doubt fathers have tended to be viewed as optional extras in the lives of their children. This may be partly due to the fact more than one in four families is now headed by a lone parent, generally the mother.
‘While the report from the equal opportunities committee places a welcome stress on the vital contribution that fathers play in the care and nurture of their children, it is important to recognise that fathers are not “second mothers” but have a unique and distinct role to play.’
Scottish Tory young people spokesman Liz Smith said: ‘For those who are used to a world where the mother has the principal role in bringing up the children, it can be a challenging transition for mothers to step back a little and allow fathers to take more of a lead. If we are serious about creating a more equal society, we need to ensure fathers are not put in a position where they feel uncomfortable looking after their children.’
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘The evidence to the committee showed that, though progress has been made to recognise the incredible importance of both parents, there are still too many instances of a mothercentric view of parenting. We will consider the recommendations and see how these can influence our work to support families.’ A NEW project aims to teach all of Scotland’s children how to ride a bicycle before they start school.
Bikes will be handed out to thousands of four-year-olds in an attempt to create a fresh generation of cyclists.
Play on Pedals – developed by Glasgow Bike Station, Cycling Scotland, national cycling charity CTC and Play Scotland – was awarded a record £232,000 grant by the People’s Postcode Trust’s Dream Fund.
The organisers have pledged to work with each of Glasgow’s 7,500 four-year- olds within the next two years to make them all cycling proficient.
If it is successful, the initiative will be rolled out across Scotland.
Victoria Leiper, of charity Glasgow Bike Station, which runs Bikeability cycling proficiency courses in schools, said: ‘Around a third of primary school kids can’t ride a bike – we regularly come across P6 pupils who we have to teach from scratch.
‘Catching children at four is the best time as it ensures they are both interested and able at an early age.’