PRESS RELEASE
G. Lawrence DeMarco, LLM
Email: ldemarco@menandboys.net
Phone: +1-215-901-1930

A Global Shift Begins: Integrating Fathers into Maternal and Family Health

June 26, 2025 – Children thrive when both parents are engaged—and a groundbreaking new federal initiative takes this principle seriously.

Projects promoting this model already span the globe:

  • Australia: PANDA (Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia) resources for fathers (1)
  • Canada childbirth programs for fathers (2)
  • Sweden: “daddy months” of parental leave (3)
  • United Kingdom: DadPad and NHS father-inclusive practices (4)(5)(6)

In the United States, the recently introduced Dads Matter Act would direct the Department of Health and Human Services to promote father involvement during pregnancy and early childhood as a public health priority. (7)

This movement is rooted in the pioneering work of Dr. Edward Stephens and the Foundation for Male Studies, which developed the Fatherhood Inclusion Questionnaire—a transformative set of intake questions that ask the expectant mother: “Where is the father?” “Is he coming to the next appointment?” “Does he want to be involved?” (8). These simple but powerful questions initiate clinical engagement with fathers, shifting the culture of prenatal care from mother-only to family-focused.

This shift is supported by a growing body of scientific and clinical evidence. In a 2023 project using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, multimodal prenatal education significantly improved detection of paternal postpartum depression—helping fathers identify symptoms and seek support (9).

Another study revealed that paternal comorbidity such as obesity and hypertension are associated with higher risks of preterm birth, NICU admission, and maternal complications like gestational diabetes (10). A third analysis confirmed that paternal depression can double the likelihood of emotional and behavioral problems in children and is tightly correlated with maternal distress (11).

Qualitative research adds emotional depth to these findings. In “I Wanted to Be There as a Father,” participants described feeling deliberately excluded from the pregnancy journey. Many fathers longed to be involved but encountered institutional and cultural barriers that left them sidelined, uninformed, and emotionally isolated. (12)  This psychological exclusion not only harms the father’s well-being—it also erodes the foundation of early family bonding.

Taken together, these findings deliver a clear and urgent public health mandate: when fathers are excluded, the entire family suffers. When fathers are included, outcomes improve—across generations.  ICMB calls on lawmakers, medical institutions, and global leaders to expand this model.

The International Council for Men and Boys is a non-governmental organization committed to celebrating the contributions of men to society and addressing the twelve major disparities affecting men and boys worldwide. Achieving #GenderEqualityForMen will also benefit women.
https://www.menandboys.net/

Sources:
(1) https://panda.org.au/for-mums-and-bubs/for-dads/how-dad-can-help/
(2)  https://dadcentral.ca/
(3) https://sweden.se/life/society/parental-leave-in-sweden
(4) https://thedadpad.co.uk
(5) https://www.nhshighland.scot.nhs.uk/news/2024/04/dadpad-launches-in-nhs-highland/
(6) https://www.fathersnetwork.org.uk/dadpaduk
(7) https://www.warnock.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warnock-marshall-gallego-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-to-promote-fatherhood-engagement-improve-maternal-health-outcomes/
(8) https://www.malestudies.org/paternal-perinatal-health
(9) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1555415522004718
(10) https://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282(23)00717-4/fulltext
(11) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18479990/
(12) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/josh.13209